The Journey To Us
by Nora Salisbury
Summary: Metrocity's new hero and his damsel have a lot of emotional red tape to cut through on their way to being the couple they're destined to be. Set mostly post-movie, later chapters will have higher ratings as fluff becomes steamier.
1. I Can Explain

_Wow! First, thanks to all who've enjoyed my other work, especially those who reviewed!_

_2nd, I want to thank Hunger4Righteousness for her help, support, insight, brilliance, humor, inspiration, and most of all, friendship. And, dear reader, if you haven't read her stories yet, you've missed the best Megamind stories in this archive. Read all her stories, they're all excellent! _

_OK, this is the 1st chapter of a 6 chapter story arc, following the steps Megamind and Roxanne take on their way to being a full-fledged couple. Set immediately after the battle with Titan. Those who've expressed an interest in a nod to my other Megamind story coming up in this one, you will get your wish but not 'til the 5th chapter ... sorry. They have been waiting forever but they also have a lot of baggage to sort through before they are ready for that level of intimacy._

_Oh, I don't own any of Dreamworks' stuff and no one is paying me (darn). _

_However, if anyone at Dreamworks sees this and thinks my ideas would work well in the sequel, I will work as cheap as the law will allow. Even if that's FREE. Seriously. If payment is required by law or union edict, I will work for a replica of the De-Gun. Wouldn't turn down a watch that looks like the disguise generator either but if I could only have one I want the gun. It's hot. Admit it._

_I know, I use ellipses like fast food places use salt. Sorry. My train of thought is the one Ozzy was singing about while Megamind and Minion were playing in Metrocity. LOL :) Hope you enjoy this and the rest of its parts to come. _

**THE JOURNEY TO US**

Chapter 1: I Can Explain

"We won, we won, we won!" Megamind cried exuberantly, elated after taking down Titan, even more so after Roxanne had wrapped him in her embrace. He held her face in his hands, then picked her up by the waist and spun her around. She slid her arms around his shoulders and hung on, giggling while he swung her around happily, laughing. Then all at once, he noticed they were completely surrounded by the citizens of Metrocity. Quick as a flash, he dropped Roxanne to her feet and whipped out his trusty De-Gun, leveling it at the crowd, and roaring "GET BACK, YOU SAVAGES!" Roxanne leapt to the task of damage control, easing his De-Gun down with one hand and trying to make soothing gestures to the confused crowd with the other, explaining that her hero is "... just not used to positive feedback!" He relaxed cautiously, and began to receive well-deserved praise from the people he'd terrorized for so long. Roxanne recounted for all within earshot his feats of daring do during her rescue, detailing his disguises and clever gadgetry like a proud mother bragging how her son earned that "child of the month" bumper sticker.

A red-headed woman stepped forward and spoke to Megamind. "I just wanted to tell you that I thought the way you were treated in school wasn't fair." Megamind looked surprised, said, "Thank you ..." then recognized her. "... you were next-to-last picked for everything that semester, right, because of the cast?" She smiled, impressed, "Yeah, and my eyes hadn't been corrected yet either ... I'm surprised you remember me." Megamind shrugged and smiled a bit. "Well, I figured that it was better I got chosen last, then you didn't have to be ... You had enough problems." She smiled again and said, "Well, thanks for saving us. Hopefully people will be nicer to you now."

_That's a nice thought. Wouldn't it be loverly if it came true, _was the thought echoing in his head, though he didn't expect people to even so much as leave him alone, much less be nice.

However, there was really only one person whose opinion mattered to him now, and that was Roxanne's. It seemed that she had forgiven him and was back to launching herself into his arms for hugs. The gutsy brunette may have been trying to reassure him, or could it be that she was actually enjoying contact with him? He couldn't be sure and didn't want to screw it all up, so he just let it be.

Her last hug had been around his chest, in an attempt to avoid more spikes poking her, but she must have hit a cracked rib, causing him to wince slightly. "Oh, my gosh!" she gasped, pulling her arm away, much to his dismay. "You're hurt! Oh, duh, Roxanne! Titan hit you so hard, and you hit that building hard enough to crack the masonry. You probably have broken ribs ... maybe even a concussion!" she said with wide eyes. Before Megamind could object, she was pulling out her phone and dialing 911. "Yes, we need paramedics here, downtown, right next to the Metro Man fountain. Tell them the patient is Megamind. They should download his medical records from the prison ... Yes, there _are,_ I've read them!" she spat out, exasperated. That surprised Megamind a bit. He didn't want to ask now but filed the info away. He was amazed at how collected she was under pressure, and how she was being so fiercely protective ... of him. "Possible broken ribs, be sure they check him for signs of a concussion. Thank you."

She stroked his head gently with her free hand, and Megamind sighed and smiled, enjoying her touch. "Really, Roxanne, it's OK. Minion always does a fine job of tending my wounds after a fight and ..." "NO!" she said, very firmly, then softened as her eyes glistened with tears she was trying not to shed. "_Please,_ Megamind ... I just, finally, opened my eyes and saw you, how you've been standing by my side all the while. When I thought you were the one lying injured by the fountain, my heart sank into a pit in my stomach, and all I could think was 'well, Roxanne, you never even gave him a chance to explain, but he came back for you. You finally found the smart, sweet, funny guy you've been dreaming about your whole life, and he walked into certain death to defend you, but it's too late.'" Megamind's mouth hung open in shock. Roxanne gingerly took his face in her hands and said, "PLEASE - let them check you out, and if they want to take you to the hospital, go. I'll go with you ... I just ... I don't want to lose you." The last words of her speech were delivered in a pathetic whimper. Megamind couldn't believe his ears. But the look in her eyes, pleading, almost desperate, convinced him that his continued existence mattered very much to her.

"OK, Roxanne," he said softly. "You know I'd do anything for you." She broke out in a hugely relieved smile. "_That's _what I want to hear!" she said warmly. Megamind was watching the change in her blue eyes as the worry fell away. Then he saw her expression change slightly again, and he saw something familiar, realizing it was the same look she had on her face in the restaurant, right before she leaned forward to kiss him. Was she feeling an urge to kiss him again? Suddenly she leaned forward and planted a lingering kiss on his cheek. Not on the lips, he noted.

_Well, of course not, you fool, _Megamind thought, _you don't look like Bernard anymore, it was his looks that inspired her heart ... and her lips._

"Oh, wait ... " Roxanne spoke up, "What about Minion? His robotic body is so wracked up, he may qualify for a special parking spot." She turned and leaned over the fountain and asked, "How ya holdin' up, Minion?" The fish was still cavorting in the water.

"Fine, Miss Ritchi ... Sorry if we scared you with my little performance." He grinned mischievously. "I never knew you were such a cut-up, Minion." Roxanne's expression showed she had suddenly realized something. "Did Megamind know the whole time?" she asked. "Pretty much." Minion gave her "the face" and continued on, "He knew I'd love playing a matinee for a new audience! It was fun how he ran with it too." Minion chuckled.

"Well ... code: you were very entertaining, Minion." Roxanne smiled at her odd little friend, reflecting upon how she'd always had a good rapport with the unconventional henchman. "So, what are we going to do about your suit?" she asked. "Sir can have the brainbots bring one of my spare suits," he answered between splashes. From behind her came the unique voice that was quickly becoming one of Roxanne's favorite sounds.

"On it." Megamind called for the brainbots on his watch, giving them instructions for which suit would be best to bring. Meantime, Roxanne leaned over the water of the fountain and addressed her finny friend again. "Hey, Minion ..." He wriggled and swam closer. "Yes, Miss Ritchi?" he replied with an earnest expression. "I just wanted to say thank you for saving me up there," she told him, trailing her hand in the water, unsure how she might be able to touch him without hurting him. He swam to her hand and nuzzled his head into her palm. "Aw, shucks, Miss Ritchi, I couldn't let anything happen to you ... You're like family." This made Roxanne grin, happy to be held in such high esteem. "Besides," Minion said softly, swimming closer and using a fin to gesture for her to lean down closer to him, which she did as he continued in a whisper, "if anything ever happened to you, Sir would be devastated." Roxanne let his words sink in, and then regarded her hero, who was finishing up with the brainbots' orders.

"... and don't drop it, or Daddy will be verrry upset! Off you go, now." He caught her gaze on him and smiled sweetly, wondering what had her making googly-eyes at him. He walked back to her and sat next to her on the edge of the fountain. She took his hands, and they began a kind of staring contest. Minion saw the lovesick gazes and decided to swim over ... there for a while.

After a while of Megamind and Roxanne just sitting together holding hands and exchanging shy glances, the brainbots showed up with Minion's suit, and Megamind lifted his best friend up into the bowl so he could get settled. "That's better!" the fish declared, flexing his metallic fingers. "Shall I take the invisible car back to the Lair, Sir?" Megamind shook his head. "Not yet, Minion ... let's see what the paramedics say. If they want me to go to the hospital, take it back then and wait for word from us. We should be ready to come back tonight, but Roxanne will call if they find anything drastic." Minion's brow furrowed but he agreed, adding, "If you do have to go ... watch after him for me, Miss Ritchi." with a weak smile. "I will, Minion ..." she promised "... no worries." The toothy smile and a sign of relief in his eyes told Roxanne he trusted her, likely more than any other Earthling, with the life of his ward and best friend. She was determined to live up to that trust.

Just then, an ambulance pulled up nearby and paramedics got out, gathered equipment, and headed over to where the couple sat. As they went about checking vital signs, Roxanne took it upon herself to describe his injuries and how they had occurred, pointing out the damaged building to illustrate how hard the impact had been when Titan punched him across the street. She noted with satisfaction that they had indeed downloaded his medical files from the prison and were consulting them for baseline figures.

The one looking at the screen noticed her concern and indicated the information. "It's good that you thought to mention these, but really, he's not all that different from us." "I know," she agreed, "especially in ways that matter most." The young man looked in her eyes and, having seen it a lot in his line of work, immediately saw the look of someone worried about a loved one. Fortunately, he was not one of those who would judge her harshly for that. "He's in good hands, Miss Ritchi." He reassured her, "We're not about to let anything happen to our new hero." Roxanne gave him a grateful smile and said simply, "Thank you."

Further examination led the paramedics to declare he should be taken to the hospital, to address the likely damaged ribs and to be safe checking for possible concussion. Megamind wasn't thrilled with the concept, but looking at the expression Roxanne wore on her face that made her seem like a scared little girl, he agreed. "Put away the big doe eyes. I'll go ... if you'll really come with me." She glanced expectantly at the younger medico and got a confirming nod. "I won't leave your side," she promised.

He hated hospitals. The halls seemed to have absorbed the pain of those stricken with illness and the grief of those whose beloved family and friends never left alive. The psychic imprint of all that agony made him uneasy the second they rolled him through the doors. The endless poking and prodding and questions weren't much fun either, though again, Roxanne took a lot of the chore of explaining things off of him.

He really balked when the phlebotomist arrived to draw blood for tests. "Must you?" he said, trying not to whine in front of Roxanne. "I _loathe _needles." Roxanne to the rescue! "Yes, they must ... but, let me tell you the key to getting through unpleasant medical procedures." As she spoke, she held his right hand with her left, absently using a fingernail to spell nonsense words in his palm, and with her right hand she caressed his face, stroking his cheek with her thumb. "Redirection of attention works wonders," she said gently, never taking her eyes off his. The tech went to work, and Megamind was so lost in her eyes and the sensation of her touch that it never occurred to him that her right hand, in addition to providing a physical source of soothing comfort, acted as a visual barrier to the movements of the blood technician, like half a set of "blinkers" on a horse. "All you need is someone to help distract you, allowing your brain to go on vacation for a minute, and before you know it, it's all done." The tech had pulled out the needle and was pressing a cotton ball on the site she had drawn blood from while Megamind vacayed in the blue limpid pools he had so come to love. He gaped at the tech, "That didn't even hurt!" The dark-haired woman pushed her glasses up her nose, smiled, and said, "She's good. You should always bring her with you." Megamind gazed in wonder and admiration at Roxanne. "Yes," he murmured, "I'd like that." They exchanged sweet smiles at the memory of the last time he'd said that.

The room cleared of hospital personnel, leaving the couple alone. Roxanne had a random thought hit her. "Metro Man ... or, Music Man, whatever he's calling himself ..." "Humph," Megamind grumbled, "'Music Man' ... I'm sorry, but I saw that movie, and he is NO Robert Preston!" Roxanne stared at him, chuckling both at his insult of Metro Man and at the image of the "evil overlord" kicking back on a Saturday watching old movie musicals. She had to admit it actually sounded like a nice way to spend an afternoon and made a mental note to rent some of her faves to share with him.

"Sooo ... why did you tell him he had talent?" she queried, amused. Megamind returned her smirk and said, "Well, how helpful would he have been inclined to be if I had been truthful? 'Golly, Music Mangler, that sucked so bad, Simon Cowell just called. You've been pre-eliminated from auditioning for American Idol.'" Roxanne couldn't help but let out a loud laugh at that, but toned it down quickly. "Well, he needs to come clean with the authorities about his 'demise' so your name can be cleared of that charge at least. I'm telling him in no uncertain terms that either he tells them, or I will." Megamind smiled at her gratefully.

"You know," she said when she'd calmed down and had another thought, "I really _do_ want to apologize for that night I dumped you. I've been haunted by how sad your eyes looked, and I wish I hadn't said those things ... I didn't mean them. I'm sorry I hurt your feelings." She had sat down next to him and grasped both his hands in hers. Megamind looked at their clasped hands, then at the look of sincere sorrow on her face, and told her, "Well, there was one thing you said that didn't hurt ... when you said I got you to care about me." He had looked back down at their hands, and suddenly he realized he was afraid to re-establish eye contact with her. But that hardly mattered, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled their faces close together. "Oh, that one, I meant ... no retraction there." She punctuated this with a kiss on the tip of his nose. Now he looked in her eyes, a small sweet grin letting Roxanne know all was forgiven.

Then he had a sobering thought. "Actually, Roxanne, I'm the one who should apologize, for the whole 'Bernard' _FEE-a-sco ..." _But Roxanne interrupted. "No, I get what you were trying to do. You were showing me that if I got to know you, I'd like you." "No," the new hero insisted, "in all honesty, none of that was planned. It just all fell into place by accident. But I let it go on because ... I was truly enjoying your company." Roxanne smiled, but was confused. "What do you mean, by accident?"

Megamind sighed. "That night at the museum, we both happened to be there, I was feeling awful about what I'd done ... or thought I'd done anyway ... and when you heard me and came looking to see who was there, I didn't want you to see me ..." Roxanne raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you afraid of me?" Megamind rolled his eyes, deciding not to tell her part of the reason he'd fled was because he was in his jammies. "Judging by your question for me in the report you'd just done, I figured you'd, at the very least, give me a piece of your mind ..." His green eyes suddenly twinkled, and he got a mischievous grin, "... though you might have beat me up like you did 'Music Mangler' ..." he let out a gleeful giggle, "I loved how you 'El Kabonged' him with his own guitar!" It was Roxanne's turn to giggle at the Quick Draw McGraw reference. Movie musicals AND cartoons? Wasn't he just turning out to be one big, adorable enigma?

"Anyway, I tried to make a run for it, and I almost got to the elevator, but Bernard was in the way ..." Megamind snorted derisively. "Big expert, told me I was wearing a 'tasteless costume!'" He mimicked Bernard's flat drawl, "'Megamind's head is NOT that grossly exaggerated' ... I mean _REALLY!"_ Roxanne stifled a giggle, imagining the encounter. "I barely had time to scan his physical appearance into the disguise generator. Couldn't get the voice, but figured I wouldn't need it just to get out of the building. But then we started talking and brainstorming the whole make-a-hero thing ... we ... seemed to ... click. There was such strong chemistry between us, I couldn't get you out of my mind," he admitted. Roxanne favored him with a loving smile. He took it in and reveled in the emotion evident on her face, his own face returning the sentiment in spades.

"Then, when you called Bernard's phone the day you found my lair," he continued, "at first, I thought I just wanted to get you out of there before your nosy reporter skills uncovered my secrets ..." a sly smile graced his lips, then a side thought hit him and his face fell. "Oh, sorry I had forgotten we had disguised the alligator pit as an exit, by the way. I shouldn't have steered you towards that ..." He now wore a genuinely apologetic look. "Yeah, that was my next question," Roxanne said. "You'd never actually put me in any real danger before." His look became remorseful. _If anything had happened to her, I'd never have forgiven myself, _he thought. Roxanne could see his anguish and grasped his hand to reassure him. "It's OK. I know you've never meant to hurt me."

He gave her a weak smile, but his brow was still creased. He sighed and relaxed a bit, then pressed on, warm memories of that day turning his expression wistful. "When we got outside, you started looking at me differently. Like I was ... special, I guess ... and when you called me your partner, well, I didn't know what to make of that, but for some reason, it felt ... good. It sure seemed to upset Hal," he recalled, grinning. "Then, when you hugged me," he breathed, looking into her eyes, "I was a goner from that moment on. There was no way I could give you up after that." Roxanne's smile doubled and her eyes gleamed. "Just from a hug?" she asked. He nodded with a shy smile. "Well, to tell you the truth," she admitted, "I was pretty hooked on you by then too. I couldn't say why. I must have been feeling the chemistry too. It's not like I go around hugging guys on a whim, but with you it just felt ... right."

Blue lips spread in a wide smile, and blue hands squeezed peach colored ones. "I came to cherish every moment with you," Megamind sighed. "I really enjoyed learning so much about you, the you that most people don't get to see. It was much more productive than tying you up and trying to scare you with weaponry." At this, Roxanne sputtered through a laugh, "Yeah, your dating skills definitely improved."

Megamind grinned. "I especially loved to hear you laugh. It was like beautiful music." Roxanne remembered him saying at the library that he'd never heard her laugh before. How could something so simple be so foreign to him? Seemed like much of what we all take for granted in life had been denied him. Like riding a bike, or sharing enjoyment of art such as the day he'd taken her to the museum, hands over her eyes, so he could see her reaction to the paintings being returned, and listening intently as she pointed out her favorites to him. No wonder he'd toasted to "being normal," which now seemed so sad when considered in this new light. Being normal had gotten him close to the girl of his dreams, and nothing could mean more to him.

"You started undoing all the evil you'd done, returning the city to its former glory, for me?" she asked, amazed. He nodded slowly. "It became important for me to see you happy again in the place you'd grown up, so I'd never see disappointment on your face like I did in the park when we were bike riding. Then I realized that it must be that way for every citizen of Metrocity. They all had good memories of growing up here, and those experiences made them who they are and affected everything they do. Seeing what 'normal' people get to have from life, through your eyes, changed my whole outlook." He fixed his eyes upon hers with a meaningful look. "YOU were the one who 'tamed this monster.'" Her mouth hung slack, wishing she had never called him that, then a thought occurred to her. "Do you watch all my reports?" she asked with a bright smile. "Of course ..." he answered, with his best flirty-shy smile, "... you've always been my favorite show."

They locked eyes, and the lovesick puppy-dog eyes Megamind was giving her, combined with the goofy smile he now wore, made the last little ice crystal in her heart with his name on it melt away. She wrapped him in a gentle hug with a soft sigh, making his heart leap. "It's a rotten shame this city didn't let you have the kind of life we take for granted ... and you risked your life for us anyway ... thank you," she whispered in his ear, and the leap became a whole dance. He nuzzled her neck and said, "Thank YOU ... for showing me I could be so much more than a villainous clown in an endless cycle of failure. I could actually have a ... real life." They held each other, neither wanting to let go and have this moment end. But as all moments must, this one ended when the grey-haired doctor entered the room. He considered the scene unusual but sweet.

They relaxed their embrace and looked at him expectantly. The doctor smiled and looked at the chart. "OK ... you're going to live," he joked, his preferred method of putting patients at ease. "Couple of cracked ribs, I understand you usually heal pretty quick from those, but I'd like to tape them anyway." Megamind nodded in agreement. "You don't show any signs of concussion, so I'd say you got off pretty easy considering the beating you took. I can give you some pain meds if you want ..." Megamind shook his head. "No thanks, just need some rest." Roxanne interjected, "So what else should we know about aftercare?" Megamind glanced at her. Aftercare? Was she planning on taking care of him?

The doctor took a sheet from his clipboard and handed it to Roxanne. "Nothing you can't handle, Miss Ritchi." He turned his gaze to his unique patient. "You're in good hands, Megamind ... Listen to your nurse and you'll do fine." He winked and tipped his head towards Roxanne at the word "nurse." Megamind smiled and winked at Roxanne. "Well, I don't have much experience at it, but I'll try to be good." Roxanne grinned playfully. "You better ... or I'll have to put you over my knee and spank you!" Megamind had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Roxanne noticed, not for the first time, how cute he looked when he did that. The doctor chuckled and said, "Actually, you kids oughta hold off on such ... strenuous activities until those ribs have a few days to heal." The suggestive tone of voice the doctor chose to use caused the pair to turn and stare agape at the doctor, both blushing furiously.

"No ..."

"Of course not ..."

"Out of the question."

"Not yet."

They stumbled over their own and each others' words all at the same time, but Megamind didn't miss the last input that had tumbled from Roxanne's enticing lips ... NOT YET. _Yet? _he thought. _That sounds promising! She may not go through with it, but it means she's considering it! _This was more than he'd even thought possible until very recently.

"Mmm. I see ..." said the doctor, with a clear "suuure" look at the would-be lovers in denial. "Well, just try to cut down on things like breakdancing and naked Twister 'til next week," he said with a sly grin. "Take care of yourself, Megamind ... and thanks." He stuck his hand out to shake Megamind's, who took the offered hand and shook it, trying desperately to excise the images of naked Twister with Roxanne from his mind. "This city needs more people like you." That surprised Megamind but put a smile on his face. "Thank you, doctor." That sort of thing would take some getting used to, being praised by an individual who saves lives himself, someone Megamind felt he should be looking up to, not the other way around ... but it was nice to feel some positive reinforcement from others for a change.

As they left the hospital, Megamind ventured a guess. "I imagine you'd like to go home now." He glanced at her in his peripheral vision to check her reaction. She looked ... almost impish. "Oh, ho, ho, nooo way, mister," she laughed and waved the aftercare paper, "I'm taking you back to the lair and putting you to bed." They both blushed a bit at that, but paid it no mind otherwise, except for a brief smirk flashing over Megamind's lips. Roxanne shot Megamind a sultry smile. "You're not getting rid of me that easy."

Megamind's face was now dominated by a large, natural grin, but quickly dissolved into a honey-dripping smile. Her playful, slightly seductive expression made him feel all warm and gooey inside, like fresh cookies. Suddenly he realized how hungry he was.

"Well, how about I call Minion and have him pick us up? If he hasn't already started dinner we can pick up something on the way home. I don't know about you, but I'm _starved!"_ Roxanne realized she was running on empty too. "Oh, yes, anything is fine with me. We just need some nourishment." Turned out Minion had already done all the prep work for a pasta with salad dinner, just waiting to cook the ravioli. He'd figured on Roxanne joining them too. "Very e-FISH-ent, my fantastic fish friend!" Megamind praised his partner in crime ... fighting.

"See you soon, Sir!" Minion was fairly beaming, from being appreciated more openly, and from how well things were working out. He had no idea how his friend had managed it, but he had done it ... switched sides AND gotten the girl. She really did seem to care for Megamind. When Hal was beating the tar out of her aspiring hero, she didn't run away to save herself. She ran towards the dangerous maniac, sneaking up on him with a street sign to bash him in the head (even though that would barely be a distraction to him), to save Megamind. That spoke volumes to Minion. Plus, she _had _been a great audience for Death Scene Theatre, he recalled with a satisfied grin as he hopped in the tricked-out Hudson to shuttle his friends home.

Roxanne and Megamind sat on a bench while they waited for Minion. "So ..." Megamind began, "... my medical records. No light reading, huh?" Roxanne smirked. "No, that's for sure. You got hurt a LOT," she said softly. Megamind eyed her, watching her reactions and expressions. "Well, I was Wayne's personal punching bag from pretty early on," he explained, watching her face screw up into that defiant look with that lip sticking out ... _Snap out of it, man! _Megamind scolded himself. Then Roxanne spoke, or rather, growled, "I didn't hit him with enough."

Megamind bit his lip but couldn't help bursting out in a fit of giggles anyway. Roxanne ended up joining him, and they laughed themselves silly for a few moments. When they'd calmed down, he was gazing in her eyes, smiling, and finally just came out and asked, "So, what made you want to pore over that dreary tome, anyway?" She smiled back and tilted her head a bit. "You don't know?" She seemed surprised. Megamind shook his head. "Gee!" Roxanne chuckled with a silly smile. "I didn't think I hid it that well." She took his hand in hers and confessed, "I've always been fascinated by you." That seemed to stun the genius for a minute. "You are totally unique, one-of-a-kind, an outrageous personality ... and, smart guys have always been my type." Casting a coquettish glance in his direction, Roxanne saw him wearing a sincere smile, both happy and hopeful. She found him so charming at that moment, and felt like a giddy schoolgirl as she reminded herself that this was _HER_ guy. _OK, maybe that was a bit possessive, _she thought, _but that's just how Roxanne rolls. She doesn't share._

Megamind recalled an incongruity that he just had to know the truth about. "Roxanne ..." he began hopefully, "Were you just trying to tell me where the car was so Titan wouldn't know, or did you _really_ look back that night?" He held his breath without realizing he was doing so, and was rewarded with a crooked grin and a confession. "Yes, I really did. I should have known by then that ... I couldn't help but care about you. Even though I was mad as a wet hen, and kept saying things to hurt you, I still ached for you in my heart." Her voice softened. "I was so confused by the time we were at Wayne's place, I had finally decided to stop fighting it just as you were giving up. When you were walking away, I should have yelled, 'HEY! What makes you think you _didn't_ get the girl?'" She smiled smugly. "Betcha THAT would've stopped you in your tracks!"

An obnoxious ring tone Roxanne had assigned to her boss shattered the moment, dragging a frustrated sigh from the exhausted reporter. She held up one finger as she answered, indicating she'd only be a minute. "Yeah, I know, I'm with him now. We just got out of the hospital and then we have to get something to eat. I'll ... what? Are you _SERIOUS?_" Roxanne sprang to her feet and stalked back and forth, trying to walk off the agitation she was feeling. "Why didn't I get any footage? My cameraman kinda went _insane!_ He threw the damn camera over his shoulder from THE TOP OF THE TOWER! If you want to go look for it, be my guest! I'm done." Roxanne was fuming. Megamind worried for her health and reached out and caressed her shoulder to calm her which startled her for a second, then she smiled at him and relaxed, sliding onto the bench next to her sweetheart. "Listen, I'm sure he'll let me talk him into exclusive interview rights once he's had a chance to settle in and heal a day or so. That'll give you some time to hire me a new camera op ... a STABLE one! When he's ready, you'll be the second one to know. Until then, I'm staying with him to make sure he's OK, so I'm taking a few personal days ... I have them coming, deal with it." That was it, no bones about it. _If they want an interview with my boyfriend, they better pucker up and I'll dust off a back pocket for them, _she resolved.

When she hung up, Megamind told her, "I can give you an interview whenever you like, Roxanne." She shook her head. "Not tonight. We're both beat. We'll see how you feel after tomorrow." Megamind looked puzzled. "Isn't your job a bit more important than me lounging about like some pampered prince?" Roxanne cracked a cute little smile. "Believe it or not," she confided as she entwined her fingers with his, "_you_ are more important to me than any job."

Now he was truly stunned. He smiled and ran his fingers over her cheek. Then a mischievous light twinkled in his eyes, and he purred, "OK ... but I'm looking forward to seeing just how you plan to talk me into exclusive interview rights." Roxanne's eyes opened wider and sparkled, and she giggled, standing up to change her seating arrangements. "Well, for starters, I'll be in your lap ..." Megamind's eyes widened to match hers and a low chuckle hummed through lips twisted into a playful smirk. Right then a horn sounded from thin air, making Roxanne jump and land on Megamind's lap. He grinned at her and sighed, "That's our ride," a bit disappointed that their flirting was cut short. However, he was getting the impression that there would be more time for that soon enough. He scooped up his beloved in his arms and jumped up and into the invisible car after Minion swung the door open. Roxanne giggled and instructed their Piscine chauffeur, "Yo, homes, to the lair!"

A few sharp-eared Metro citizens wondered why they heard laughter traveling down the street and decided it was best not to wonder about such things.


	2. That's What She Said

_OK, chapter 2! I'm really jazzed by all the response to this fic so far, thank you all! I will find time eventually to respond to all the reviews, I swear! _

_I borrowed the name of the coffee shop from a shop we used to have here in North Hollywood 'til a Starbucks opened down the block, and they went out of business. I thought it was just the best name for a coffee shop ever, so I had to use it. It's been so many years I'm sure they won't mind._

_I'm also basing the treats Megamind likes on something real, Starbucks has similar items, except they are on a stick. Very good, too, try them if you go there._

_I must once again give heartfelt thanks to my best buddy here, Hunger4Righteousness. Thank her for this being readable, and for being my biggest cheerleader and inspiration. She gently nudges me along and this stuff gets out faster, so be nice to her. Go read her stuff, and review it. She adores reviews. ;D_

**THE JOURNEY TO US**

Chapter 2: That's What She Said

The sun was up in Metro City. It was a beautiful day. Sunny, but still cool. A light breeze played through the city, out with the bad air, in with the good. Some of the earliest risers among the citizenry were stirring, getting their morning papers, walking their dogs, and having breakfast. Birds chirped, squirrels played, and Megamind felt sure the planets were aligned in his favor.

He daydreamed of Roxanne as he leaned against the front wall of Perkatory, the coffee shop that had been caffeinating the biggest brain on the planet for years. For the past few days he'd often let his mind wander just a short way down memory lane, to the days Roxanne spent in the lair, helping Minion take care of him and generally keeping him company. The most delightful company he'd ever had the pleasure of sharing. They had spent so much time just talking, like they had been doing before the Bernard debacle was blown wide open. And while Roxanne had been very open with him before, he still had much to reveal to her about his past. She found herself even more fascinated than she had been as he let her in and let her see the many facets of his personality: his goofy humor, his boundless enthusiasm, his amazing intellect, his sense of justice, his sensitivity, and her favorite, his romantic side. They flirted shamelessly, flustering Minion a little. He didn't know what to do when they started peering into each other's eyes with those lovesick-bordering-on-predatory smiles. He kept wondering what he would do if they really started in seriously making out. It always ended with the large brown eyes rolling, deciding he'd be better off not worrying before need be.

Megamind fidgeted, feeling restless. He'd had a clean bill of health for days now, but between her work and his heroism, they hadn't had a chance to carve out any time for themselves. They had seen each other, even spent a little time talking. He didn't really count the interviews as such, though it was nice to be near her. The majority of their communication of late was by phone and text. He was aching to find out exactly how Roxanne felt about him and where she felt their relationship could go. He sighed, waiting for Tony to open up for the day. Megamind glanced down at his watch; it was nearly 6 am. The soft clicking sound that heralded Tony's bike just rounding the corner caught the hero's attention, and he smiled. Tony glided by Megamind and braked, jumping off his bike and fumbling with his keys.

"Morinin' Megamind! Ready for your coffee?" Tony cheerily asked. He had prospered through the years, in no small part due to the habits of his best customer. Even when the city had been a dump in the early days of Megamind's reign, he got by on the few stragglers who didn't flee the city and Megamind. Tony twisted open the lock and pulled the door wide open for the erstwhile villain, who walked inside with a spring in his step. Despite this, Tony could tell Megamind was tired, a state he was all too used to seeing the blue man endure. But he could also see the smile plastered across his face and the stars in his eyes that bespoke the depths of his love for Roxanne Ritchi, and the purveyor of perkables chuckled inwardly. He'd watched the endless kidnappings and wondered why no one else seemed to notice what the fact that she was his sole victim meant. He'd seen the about-face the alien's personality had taken when he had been dating Roxanne as Bernard, thinking at the time that something must have brought them together finally for his giant blue head to be so firmly wedged in the clouds of late. Tony had a mostly Italian lineage, and having the fiery blood of such passionate people coursing through him, he understood fully why a man would dive head-first into Hell for the love of a woman and knew the signs when he saw them. And he had watched Megamind do exactly that, dive into Hell to rescue his lady fair. He was glad to see how good she was for him and, by extension, the rest of Metro City as well. She'd given the city a new hero by inspiring Megamind to tap into his innate decency, so long dormant, buried beneath decades of abuse. She had coaxed that side of him out to play with her, and once out it could no longer be denied.

"Ahh, yes Tony, thank you! Mega-size mocha, double shot of espresso, double whipped cream, please." His eyes wandered over the selection of munchies and skidded to a halt on two trays of little chocolate covered balls. "Oooh, what are those?" The proprietor grinned at the glazed expression on his friend. "Those are cake poppers," he explained. "I had a feeling you'd latch onto those. You can have Devil's Food covered in dark chocolate rolled in crushed pecans and marshmallows, or Angel Food covered in white chocolate rolled in crushed almonds and coconut. Want to try one of each?" Megamind nodded, smiling and licking his lips. Tony slipped the bite-size treats into a paper bag and went about making the coffee. Megamind grabbed the bag and popped into his mouth first the Angel Food variety, then after savoring it noisily, he plucked the Devil's Food one in his fingers and decided to make it last a little longer by making two bites out of it. He liked this one better. Dark chocolate was his favorite. The cake inside was decadently moist and sweet. "MmmmMMMmm ... Tony ... I'm gon nee moreo these." Megamind informed the barista. "How many?" Tony grinned, knowing full well the answer. "All of them," the sweet-toothed hero said with a touch of his old eee-vil voice and a sly grin. Tony let loose a hearty laugh. "How'd I know?"

He put the remaining cake poppers in two bags, one for each flavor, and then handed Megamind his coffee. Megamind fished through his wallet for his secret emergency stash o' cash and pulled out a hundred dollar bill. "I'm sure this won't cover my tab, but it'll make a nice dent, and I can pay it off next week. I've got some money in flux right now," the blue defender offered. Tony waved it off. "Ah, just wait 'til after the 1st. You'll just screw up my bookkeeping if you pay now." Megamind shrugged and said, "OK, thanks." Tony cast a curious eye on Megamind and finally decided he just had to be nosey.

"So," Tony hemmed, "are you just stocking up on snacks for the day or are you going to surprise Roxanne with breakfast in bed?" In retrospect, he should have waited until Megamind was done swigging from his coffee cup. A prize-worthy spit take revealed Megamind was still too nervous about the whole thing to have gone that far yet. "_**TO-**_**NY!"** Megamind spluttered, grabbing some napkins and dabbing at his suit, then at the sticky mist on the counter. Tony grabbed a rag and wiped the counter and handed some moistened napkins to Megamind for his suit. "When you're in love with a goddess, you don't ... club her over the head and drag her off to your man-cave," Megamind huffed, realizing the second the words left his mouth how the irony fairly dripped off them, "you _COURT_ her." Tony chuckled. "Well, that's admirable. Hopefully she knows how lucky she is." Megamind shook his head. "No, Tony ... _I'm _the lucky one in this equation." Tony grinned. "Whatever's right, man." He marveled at how the guy got through life and accomplished so much with so little self-esteem. He hoped Roxanne could help him recognize his own worth.

Megamind left Perkatory with his second Mega-sized coffee, the first having been drunk, and spewed, while still in the cafe. He toted the two bags of cake poppers in the other hand and trotted back to his car, where he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message to Roxanne.

_Ollo gorgeous! R U busy? Want 2 show U something._

It took several minutes for the reply to come through, making him so worried he considered sending the brainbots to look for her.

_Sorry I'm stuck here a while. Wish I was with U. This is SO boring! I miss U 3_

Megamind slumped in his seat, disappointed.

_*SIGH* Miss U 2 my 3. When CAN I C U?_

_Maybe around noon 4 lunch? We can have a picnic if you want. ;)_

Megamind's eyes widened and his face split into a huge grin. Memories of her holding his hand, scooching closer to him 'til the tips of her hair brushed the skin of his forehead, creating a delightful tingling sensation that made him have to bite back a giggle of joy, and turning those beautiful baby blues on him, their faces maybe an inch apart, flooded his mind and body with warm feelings of comfort. But this was short-lived, as another text came through.

_O crud. I'm told we don't get a sit-down lunch today. Driving out 2 boonies 4 interview. Meet station 11:30, need to load xtra gear. U & I can have a few minutes N E way._

Megamind pouted so much he was sure she could feel it.

_OK. A moment in your company is all day with N E 1 else. I'll B watching the clock. 3 U!_

Roxanne's reply made his stomach flutter and a bashful smile creep over his face.

_C U then sweetie! 3 U 2. XOXOXO_

He raked his front teeth over his lower lip and replied again.

_XOXOXO times 6!_

Roxanne sent one last communique.

_Hee hee! U R 2 cute! Gotta go *SWAK*_

Megamind puzzled over her sign-off in that one. "Swak? What on Earth is a swak?" No matter, he decided, Roxanne would explain later. In the meantime, he'd have to find something to pass the time. He only allowed himself a couple more Devil's Food and one more Angel Food of the cake poppers, saving most of them to share with Roxanne. He drained his coffee, stretched and contemplated what to do with this time. He decided to at least put himself near the station and drove over, parking one block away. He hung out in the car for a while, listening to the radio, 'til a few citizens started to notice that not only was the battle-armored Hudson sitting there, but its owner as well. Some just waved, getting a wave and smile back, others had encouraging things to say. "Rock on, dude!" said a couple of long-haired guitarist types, who flashed the "devil horns" hand signal, index and pinky fingers raised. Megamind was so amused by that he displayed the signal back, belting out, "Keep rocking, Metrocity!" at the youths.

One small boy ran to the car, pressed his face as flat against the window as it would go and gawked at the interior of the car like it was Christmas morning. His mother began to scold him when she saw that Megamind was actually in the car, so the defender took a chance and got out. "Please, it's alright if he wants to look, really ... can't scold the little rascal for curiosity. In fact ... if it's OK with you, he's welcome to sit in the car to look at the controls up close. Just be careful not to touch anything yourself, little man." The boy's eyes were wide and expectant as he looked to his mother for the golden ticket that would get him in that car, her permission. She smiled at Megamind. "That's very nice. if you're sure it's OK, I know he'd love it." Megamind walked around and opened the passenger door for the child, who nearly squealed with glee as he hopped in the car. After rolling down the window so mom would have an unobstructed view of her offspring's antics, bright green eyes gaged the boy's expression and body language. He was itching to push something. Megamind knew that look and understood it from personal experience. He looked the boy in the eye and said, "I'll make you a deal; if you only touch the controls I point to, I'll let you activate some of the features of the car. Sound fair?" A frantic nod was the only reply. Megamind smiled and pointed to a round button. "Here's the button that turns on the invisibility mode. Go for it." The young boy was ecstatic, pressing the button and watching the car become invisible to those outside. He clapped and giggled. "YAY! That's so cool!" the boy gasped out. Mom laughed and started playing a sort of peek-a-boo, unable to see her child through the front windshield so he'd pop out the window and try to startle her. Megamind chose a few other of the safer features of the car and was nearly as amused as the youngster's mother as the little fingers poked buttons and flipped switches, wide eyes watching proudly as the effects he had summoned took place. By the time the harried mom had coaxed her son out of the car to continue on their way to go shopping, the boy had struck another deal with his hero; that when he turned 16, Megamind would give him driving lessons in the car. Megamind had no doubt he would be seeing the young man on the doorstep of the lair in about a decade, taller but wearing the same enthusiastic smile on his face and a pair of driving gloves.

After a couple more hours, he decided his legs were getting cramped, and he needed to walk it off. He walked towards the station slowly, checking out the surrounding area as he went. More citizens noticed him now, and a few here and there approached him to talk, including a Japanese tourist couple who had obviously just met the highlight of their trip to America. Megamind actually knew a little Japanese he'd picked up from movies and anime, and the couple had a small translator about the size of a pocket calculator so they were able to converse extensively. After answering their questions and regaling them with his story (Reader's Digest version), they asked a passerby to take pictures of them with the blue champion of right, who hammed it up worse than Minion in his poses, much to the Asian visitors' delight. They took down the P.O. box address Megamind had recently begun taking mail through so as not to advertise the location of the lair and promised to send copies of the pics to him. He bowed deeply when it was time for them to go on their way, saying "Sayonara."

Megamind had made his way to the station, but as he strolled around to the back where they would be loading the van, he heard a faint whine. An animal in distress? He followed the sound to find something that made him absolutely livid - a dog locked in an unattended car. The temperature had risen considerably since the early morning now that the marine layer had burned off. It would be like a blast furnace inside that car despite the owner's pathetic attempt at having some concern for the poor pet ... cracking the windows an inch. "OH! What is WRONG with some people?" the alien fumed, and without a moment's hesitation pulled a small device from his pocket, a little thing he'd whipped up that picked locks with the help of a laser. He opened the door and took the dazed canine into the shade, giving it some water from a small emergency bottle he'd taken to carrying. The distressed animal weakly licked his rescuer's hand in thanks. It made tears sting behind the hero's large emerald orbs.

"What the HELL?" The angry voice made Megamind stand and whirl on the source of it, his eyes darkening as his brain worked to rein in his temper. He was so upset he didn't even see the news van pull up down the block, or notice Roxanne's nosy gene kicking in at the sound of the disgruntled motorist. When she saw that her boyfriend was standing toe to toe with a man who didn't seem to agree with him, she said a quick "Be right back" to her new camera operator, an overgrown tomboy with short sandy-blond hair dubbed Sam (short for Samantha), and leaped from the cab of the vehicle to investigate. As she drew closer, she could hear the disagreement hinged on the poor overheated dog on the sidelines, left in the car to roast alive. That explained her sweetheart's disposition at the moment.

"I left the windows cracked!" the thick-headed man yelled.

"SO WHAT?" Megamind nearly screeched at the dense-o-rama denizen of Metrocity. "That doesn't change the fact that the temperature inside the car is enough to bake his poor little brain! He can't sweat like we can, you know!"

"It's fine, I do it all the time!" the insensitive lout insisted.

"Oh, LOVELY! I'm surprised he's lived _this_ long then!" Megamind yelped, exasperated. He realized this wasn't getting them anywhere. If only the man could know what the little dog was up against ... a light bulb lit in his head, and he knew how to deal with this. Meanwhile, Roxanne had crept over to the dog and was petting it, and helping it take a bit more of the water in the small plastic bowl provided by a pedestrian who had just finished an on-the-go bowl of cereal and wiped it out when he saw how Megamind was trying to save the poor beast.

"Look, mister, I'll make you a wager ..." Megamind began as he pulled his wallet out and retrieved the Benjamin from its hiding place, "... I'll bet you this hundred dollar bill that you can't last ten minutes in that car with just the windows cracked." The man looked at him as though he'd lost his mind. "It's real. Examine it for yourself if you like," Megamind said, waving the bill in the other man's direction. "Why would you do that?" the man asked incredulously. "Just to prove a point!" Megamind assured him. "If you can stay in there for ten minutes, I'll go away and leave you a hundred dollars richer. If not, you have to promise me that you will NEVER leave your 'best friend' in a car again!" "That's it? Blue boy, you've got a bet!" The larger man laughed, shaking Megamind's hand. Roxanne wasn't sure how it would turn out, but she had always wanted to make people who leave pets and children in cars suffer the heat themselves so they could see just how serious it was.

Megamind checked his watch and marked the top of the minute so the man could begin his penance. He also noted that Roxanne should be here anytime and glanced at the van loading equipment down in back of the station, not finding Roxanne among the people milling about. He felt sure that when he told her the reason he was late that she would forgive him and so continued being the time keeper. The big tough guy was starting to show distress after only a couple of minutes, sweating and putting his mouth and nose through the space at the top of the window, trying to get cooler air to breathe. "Yeah, that's one of the things no one thinks about," Megamind said with an air of indifference. "The warmer air is, the farther apart the molecules are, and therefore the less oxygen there is to breathe in. That's why you're taking lungsful of air but don't feel like you're getting enough oxygen."

The man in the car barely made it past the 5 minute mark before he opened the door and stumbled out to breathe and drink the water Megamind held out to him with a look of pure, smug satisfaction. "Holy ... crap ..." the citizen gasped, "... is that ... what I've been ... putting you through, Rusty?" At the sound of his name, the dog raised his head and got up to rejoin his master, licking the man's face as he hugged his furry buddy and told him how sorry he was. Then the man got up and looked long and hard at Megamind. He put out his hand once again and shook the alien hand in gratitude rather than avarice this time. "Thanks, Megamind ... I was being a real jerk, I guess. I'm glad you helped me see what was going on before something terrible happened." Megamind's smile changed from smug to genuinely pleased. "So am I," he admitted, then had an idea. He pressed the currency that had been on the line into the man's hand and said, "Why don't you treat your friend and yourself to checkups, make sure you're both A-OK." The man stared at this blue spaceman who'd gone from yelling at him, to preventing the tragic loss of his best friend, then to rewarding him for learning a valuable lesson. He pulled Megamind's thin frame into a bear hug, clapping him on the back. "You're the best, man! Anybody that ever has anything bad to say about you can answer to me!" Megamind wasn't sure how to deal with such a boisterous thanking but rode it out fine. "Yes, well ... glad to help." After the man drove off to take his dog to the vet, Megamind was surprised to hear the sweetest voice he'd ever known from right behind him say softly, "I couldn't be prouder of you."

"Roxanne!" Megamind turned and grasped her hands happily, grinning wildly. "Did you see any of that? I actually changed that man's mind, made him see the error of his ways! It feels wonderful to be able to counsel others in turning bad to good!" Apparently he was proud of himself too, and with good reason in Roxanne's opinion. "Yes, I saw most of it. You were wonderful!" she praised, pulling him along with her, walking back to the station. She loved seeing him like this, excited and happy, animatedly telling her about all the people he'd met since they last spoke. When he talked about the boy who was so enamored of the car, her eyes shone brightly with love to hear how well he had handled the child's energy and figured out how to channel it. She laughed aloud at the notion of this kid showing up at the lair for driving lessons. "What if word gets around? You may have to open 'Mega-Safe Driving Shool'!" He laughed heartily with her at this even more ridiculous possibility. When he told her of the tourists, she only said, "Oh, you _have _to show me those pics when you get them!"

Back at the van, Sam was done loading the gear they would need for their shoot and was currently bobbing her head, rocking out to a choice Ozzy track. "Ya ready to go, Roxanne?" the camera op called to her. Roxanne looked to the other woman with pleading eyes. "Can we just have a few minutes? I'll buy whatever you want for lunch to take on the road." Sam noticed Roxanne still had Megamind by the hand and grinned. She was one who was all for love, even in its most unconventional forms, and so decided anything she could do to advance the course of romance for her new partner was effort well spent. "I was just going to ask you if I could hold things up a little longer by taking a bathroom break. See you in a few." Roxanne shot her a grateful grin and turned to her hero.

Said hero was gazing at her wistfully, but when he had her attention he perked up and told her, "OH! I wanted you to try these tasty treats Tony has now, but I left them in the car ... I'll be right back!" he called out as he bounded away towards the next block. She could see the spiked fins from her vantage point so knew it wouldn't even be a minute. She found herself the wistful one now, staring after him, admiring his spirit. Truth be told, she was getting just as antsy as he'd been for some alone time to let them explore a little just how compatible they would be physically. Not jumping right into the sack, but a little make-out time was definitely in order. She watched as he exited the car with two paper bags and sprinted back to her, only slowing down when he had to dodge a very rambunctious toddler who charged at him in mock battle, earning a scolding from his mother, who apologized to Megamind as she passed him going the other direction. He put her at ease by telling her, "Oh, that's OK ... I was _much _worse when I was his age!" As the two laughed at his quip, the intrepid reporter sized up the long, lean, leather-clad figure with the coolest gun ever strapped to one muscular thigh making him such an old-fashioned futuristic action man, and finally sighed and just had to own up to it, "Yeeah, Roxanne," she admitted to herself, "you've _SO _got it bad for this space cowboy."

Upon returning to her side, Megamind opened the bags and eagerly presented them to her. "Try these! They are SO good! This is Angel Food and white chocolate, and these are Devil's Food with dark chocolate. They're rolled in nuts and marshmallows and coconut. Mmm?" Roxanne smiled, surprised. "These were in your car? How come they're not a melted mess?" He cocked an eyebrow and shrugged. "Refrigerated compartment in the center console." She smiled at him, thinking _of course he has a fridge, he probably has more gadgets in there than James Bond,_ and popped an Angel Food one in her mouth, "Mmm HMM!" She clearly approved as her eyes brightened. Then she tried a Devil's Food. "Mm, not bad," she decided, "but I like the Angel Food better." Megamind considered this, and since he was partial to the Devil's Food anyway, he offered her the bag of Angel Food bites, tossing in a couple Devil's Food for good measure. "Why don't you take this on the road with you then. You and your new camera jockey can indulge your sweet teeth." Roxanne snatched the bag from him like the offer had a lifespan of three seconds. "Thank you sweetie!" Roxanne moved to hug him, but stopped, deciding to drag her man with her into a walkway between the buildings. Megamind followed, unsure what was in store but intrigued by the mischievous gleam in his love's eyes.

Once they were properly concealed from prying eyes, Roxanne pounced on her boyfriend and attempted to hug the stuffing out of him. Megamind melted into her arms, wrapping his own around her back. Roxanne nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing in his pheromones and the scent of leather, his own special blend of aroma intoxicating her. Megamind reveled in the feel of her lips and nose grazing his flesh, her breath dancing over his skin making him shudder.

"Oh, Roxanne ..." As he spoke her name like it was something holy, he returned her neck nuzzling, prompting a sudden moan from his lady love.

"I've missed you sooo much, Megamind ... OH! Ohhhhh ..." For his part, Megamind was enjoying being able to cause her to make such ... arousing sounds. He moved his nose up to snuggle in her ear, making her giggle as his goatee slid along her neck, setting the nerve endings in its path on fire. Roxanne reluctantly pulled away from his embrace far enough to look him in the face, effectively curtailing the goatee tickling killing her concentration. She couldn't afford to get lost in the sensations their passionate explorations produced. "Mmm, OK quit that, you." She smirked at him lovingly. "Much as I hate to, I've gotta get on the road soon. The sooner we get that done, the sooner I can get back here, put the finishing touches on the story, and be done for the day." She saw disappointment register on his face and pitched an idea that might cheer him up. "Tell you what," she soothed, "I should be done tonight around 7pm. Call me, and we'll figure out what we want to do with the rest of the night. Plus tomorrow is my day off. We'll have plenty of time together, barring some crummy villain showing up." _Which they better not if they know what's good for them, _she added mentally.

Megamind's broad smile told her this was a good plan. "OK," he agreed, then smiled shyly and said, "As long as we get to spend some time together, I'm happy." Then he thought about her text sign-off earlier and asked, "Oh, by the way ... what's a swak?" It took Roxanne a second to process his question and she giggled, "SWAK? That stands for 'Sealed With A Kiss' silly!" His angular face lit up at that, it opened up an avenue for a discussion on a subject he'd been mulling over how to allude to, and he decided to speak up. "I was beginning to think you didn't enjoy my company anymore," he said with a pretend pout about the lack of contact they'd had lately. Roxanne arched an eyebrow at him. "And what gives you _that _idea?" she playfully threw one of his own lines from his time as Bernard back at him. He stalled, not sure how to word it without it sounding like he was complaining too much. "Well ... you, um ... I thought maybe, you weren't sure how ... serious you wanted things to get between us ... I mean, I didn't want to assume too much, but when we _do _manage to get together, it certainly _feels _pretty serious." He smiled seductively, tipping an eyebrow her way. Roxanne still wasn't quite sure what he was getting at and coaxed more from him with a "But?" Megamind sighed and looked at her sheepishly. "You haven't ... kissed me on the lips since the restaurant." He ducked his head uncomfortably as he saw her mouth drop open, not knowing how she would react to this. "I mean, after the battle and going to the hospital, you kissed my cheek and nose, but those are more ... noncommittal ... platonic." He relaxed a little as Roxanne's face settled into a crooked smirk. "Oh," she said lightly, "that's what's bothering you? Well, did you ever stop to think about _why_ I wasn't planting kisses on your lips?" He looked at her blankly. "No ... I guess I should have ... why?" Roxanne caressed his cheek and enlightened him. "Sweetie, you were hurt, and we were waiting on paramedics. I didn't want to raise your vital signs and throw off their tests." Understanding blossomed on Megamind's face. "Ohhh, well that makes sense." Roxanne then glanced at him, her expression becoming flirty. "Besides," she purred, "if I'd started kissing your lips, I wouldn't have wanted to stop. We never would have gotten you to the hospital." Megamind's eyes widened and a wary grin crept over his face as she continued. "And I might have gotten carried away and hurt you worse. So I was better off not tempting fate." Now the blue lips had spread in a playful smile, and he pulled her closer. "You _ARE _such a temptress!" He gently pressed his forehead to hers, and green eyes locked with blue ones. "Any reason why we can't share a little smooch now?"

Roxanne grinned. She liked how bold that move was for him and didn't want to discourage him. "Oh, Sweetie ..." She saw the hope flickering in his eyes and started to try to talk him out of it without crushing his ego. "Honey ... if I get all hot and bothered kissing you now, I won't be able to keep my mind on my interview." Her use of the phrase "hot and bothered" made him bite his lip with excitement, and that was finally too much for Roxanne to endure. "Oh, God ... you are so cute when you bite that lip! Makes me just wanna nibble on it myself." She struggled gamely with the last reservations she had about it and lost. "Oh, what the Hell," she grasped his face with both hands to pull him to her, "C'mere, you ... gimme that lip!" Roxanne lunged forward, latching on to his lower lip, clamping it between her upper teeth and lower lip, tugging it, then entwining her lips with his in a full-on liplock.

Megamind moaned in his throat as she deepened the kiss. He was stunned but delighted, and gripped her body tightly to his. But Roxanne couldn't let herself get too caught up in this and broke the kiss, pulling back to fix him with a smoldering gaze. "That'll have to hold you 'til tonight." She tapped the tip of his nose with her finger to accentuate the point. As she left his embrace and turned to walk away, she said, "I gotta go ... don't forget to call." She couldn't help but wear a silly smirk watching how he stumbled backwards a bit once they'd parted, quickly putting a foot behind him to keep from falling over. She sighed with satisfaction that she could make him weak in the knees as she walked away, peeking back at him over her shoulder just as she had done in front of the lair after hugging him the first time. She was pleased to see the same hopelessly lovestruck expression on his face.

As Roxanne approached the van, she made eye contact with Sam who had just climbed back in the driver's seat and was about to ask her co-worker what they should have for lunch when a joyous noise interrupted them.

"_YeeaaAA_**HOOOO**!"

Roxanne displayed a positively evil grin and pulled a fist pump before getting in the van. With a mildly amused expression, Sam watched her buckle up and settle in, getting some tissue from the console dispenser to wipe the smudged lipstick from her mouth. "I'll reapply after lunch," she said in the only explanation she would offer. Sam didn't need the synopsis though. That was supplied as they watched Megamind exit the walkway and head off towards his ride, skipping and leaping and pulling a fist pump of his own. The two women sniggled, and Sam ribbed, "Gee, when you kiss 'em, they _stay _kissed!" The witty line barely registered with Roxanne as she watched Megamind's slender form disappear into the Hornet. _Yep, _she had to admit to herself again, _you've got it pretty bad._


	3. Talk To The Head

**THE JOURNEY TO US**

Chapter 3: Talk to the Head

_OK, all y'all gather 'round, it's time for another installment in our story. First off, I am going to tell you that you have the fabulous writer __**Hunger4Righteousness**__ to thank for getting this chapter now instead of waiting for me to write the picnic portion of their date. She convinced me it would be better as its own chapter. So after reading this, go read whatever of her stories you haven't read (including her "Despicable Me" fic, it's excellent!) and then give her a nice review, so she knows you care. :)_

_She also keeps my work readable ... she's clever that way! So really, go praise this lady like you should. _

_There's a lot of foreshadowing going on here, so pay attention! I'm not saying there'll be a quiz later but you may as well keep up._

The KMCP news van was heading back to the city, finally. Behind the wheel Sam sat, hands not at 10 & 2 but more like 8 & 2, fingers of her left hand wrapped around the inside of the wheel approximating finger positions on the neck of a guitar, right hand on the outside of the wheel strumming and picking along with the music of Billy Joel. She was belting out the lyrics to "You May Be Right" like it was a personal anthem. When the rowdy Rock 'n' Roll faded to monotonous commercials she addressed her passenger, an exhausted and distracted Roxanne Ritchi.

"Wow, was that geezer stone cold crazy or what?" Sam glanced at Roxanne and caught her eye roll. "I think he knew his 'UFO' was a mylar balloon all along, and just wanted some attention. Hell, he probably let it go under those power lines on purpose. Maybe his neighbors will forgive him when the power is back on." The indifferent hum from the reporter told her co-worker she was barely present mentally. The camera op knew where her friend's mind was wandering though, and so knew just how to drag her back to reality. "Sooo ... do you want me to drop you off at your place or at ... 'THE LAIR?'" She began laughing lightly and explained it away, "I'm sorry, it's just that he's probably the only guy on the planet who could call his pad 'THE LAIR' and have it be cool rather than creepy!" Roxanne echoed her partner's jocularity and agreed.

"Yeah, I guess it would be weird if it were anyone else, but with him it seems ... perfectly normal." She laughed again. "As if anything about him can be called 'normal'." She pondered this for a moment and added, "Maybe I just find 'normal' to be boring." She reflected on her driver, realizing that the slightly older woman was just normal enough to be stable and dependable, but certainly not boring. She had a quick wit with a roguish edge. She was definitely more fun to be around than Hal. "But to answer your question, I need to go home and shower about 15 pounds of Old MacDonald's farm off of me before I see Megamind." Roxanne groaned.

Sam grinned wickedly and said, "Judging by his demeanor earlier today, I don't think he'd mind you showin' up a mite dusty. He'd probably volunteer to lick you clean."

Roxanne nearly choked on the water she'd been swigging. Her cough segued into a nervous laugh. "Oh, my gawd! You are so bad!" she scolded her pal jokingly. She considered the comment and allowed, "Probably right, but still bad." Sam let loose an evil laugh.

"I wish I'd gotten to see that deal with the dog in the car, he's a hero in _my_ eyes for that alone, the ASPCA oughta give him a medal!" the blond asserted.

"I'll tell him you said that, it'll make his day," Roxanne told her. "He's so grateful for recognition when he does good things, and I want to make sure he gets plenty of it. Sort of trying to make up for all those years of misjudgment and mistreatment. No wonder he took to calling the place 'Metrocity.' The things this city did to him _were _an atrocity." She shook her head sadly.

"Well, I'd bet a month's pay that he considers all that abuse a small price to pay for fate to allow him his heart's desire. So you seeing through the bad boy act to his soul, that's worth every minute of pain and every teardrop," Sam told her seriously.

That made Roxanne smile. To think she might mean that much to him warmed her heart. "Sam ..." she began thoughtfully, "... do you think it's too soon for me to tell him I love him?"

Sam made a snorting noise in her throat and flashed most of her teeth. "Oh, no ... unless you're not ready to watch him drop to his knees and worship you like a Virgin Mary-shaped burn on a tortilla." Both women laughed aloud at that.

Music heralded the end of the advertising and Sam recognized the tune instantly. "Oh, yeah! A perfect song for us news hounds!" Once the drums kicked in Roxanne caught on too. They joined Don Henley's vocals as the van entered the city limits.

"I make my living off the evening news,

just give me something, something I can use,

people love it when you lose, they love dirty laundry!"

Sam slowly dropped the volume of her voice as the lyrics progressed so she could hear Roxanne's voice better. It was clear, strong and melodic, and when she would belt out certain passages, a husky edge was detectable. Sam smiled, impressed. When the lyrics ran out, she shot a glance at Roxanne in awe. "Dang, girl! You've got a nice voice! Ever do Karaoke?"

Roxanne laughed. "Oh, no ... I'm not that good," she protested.

"Aw, c'mon!" Sam coaxed. "Karaoke isn't like 'American Idol,' you don't have to be Susan Boyle. I've done some Karaoke in my time, and I can tell you that you have a better voice than most of the people there ... Hell, you've got a better voice than me, and I'm not shy about gettin' up there!" Roxanne smirked at her unconvinced, and she continued. "I'm tryin' to convince my favorite haunt to do a Karaoke night, I'll let you know when it's in full swing."

Roxanne sighed, amused by her new partner who, while she had no ambition to make a living in music, really seemed to find joy in singing. The reporter's kid-at-heart side, the same part of her that found Megamind's antics so much fun, had to admit that it _had _been a blast to sing along to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," which Sam coerced her into participating by reasoning, "If Dana Carvey and Mike Myers can have that much fun makin' fools of themselves, why can't we? Who's listening? I'm not tellin' ..."

Minion was so happy to see the closest being he knew to a brother in such high spirits. Megamind had pulled the currently visible car into the lair, and upon getting out had jumped up on the hood, deftly avoiding the spiked fins. Once there he caught his pointy-toothed pal's eye and crowed, "You were right, Minion! I am desperately, hopelessly, head-over-heels, puppy-dog in LOVE!"

The fish cocked an eyebrow at the hyper blue hero, a single variation from his feigned bored expression, and said blandly, "You don't say?"

The caped figure suddenly leaped from the vehicle onto his friend's metallic frame, grabbing either side of the bowl the unique creature swam in. "She _KISSED _me, Minion! Not just a little peck, either, a _passion-ape _kiss that nearly turned me into two puddles in my boots!"

"Passionate, Sir," the fish corrected automatically. The strong blue hands released their grip on the glass around him, and his cohort hopped down to the floor.

"Yes, of course," Megamind trailed off, waving his hands in a lazy rolling motion. He was grinning broadly, and his expression showed his attention was in a galaxy far, far away. "I knew that ... but I swear Minion, she's got me all tied up inside, it's no wonder I'm tripping over words!" He stopped and considered what he'd just heard himself say and chuckled. "Heh, heh ... _she's _got _me _tied up. _There's _a switch, eh?" Minion grinned and bobbed his body in agreement.

"By the way, Sir, I finished your new gloves, boots and cape." Minion's words were matter-of-fact, as if he were saying he washed the dishes. But he loved creating fashions for his ward and took great pride in making the fit perfect. He liked to see how new materials responded to the rigors of being worn by someone with such a demanding career, who undeniably knew how to work a cape. "I think you'll like them."

"AH!" Megamind spun around, practically dancing in anticipation. He removed his gloves, and Minion handed him the new accessories to inspect. He ran his long fingers over the black buttery hide, and his eyes widened. "Oooh, so soft ... what kind of leather is this, Minion?"

Minion averted his eyes. He'd dreaded that question. "Well, Sir, it's ... um, lambskin." He lifted his eyes to meet his friend's, knowing the expression that would be directed back at him. "I know, I know, but I got a really good deal, and I wanted to get something that would conform to you." He rolled his brown eyes as the green ones set in the angular blue face stared at him, wide and a little sad. "You've eaten lamb before too, when you got Schwarma at the Greek Grill," he reminded Megamind.

"I know, it's just that ... oh, maybe she won't ask," he shrugged. "Although she did ask about the baby seal boots ..." he mused.

"So you told her how the golden seal stamped on the bottom was just the way that Inuit fellow signed his work?" Minion smirked.

"Yes," Megamind admitted. "You know, Minion, I do believe your craftsmanship is even better than his," he praised his partner as he examined the structure of the boots.

"Thank you, Sir ... taking apart the oldest pair to see how they were put together helped," Minion explained.

"Well, they were shot anyway," the alien stated, "and too dangerous ... and not at all conducive to snuggling." This last bit was murmered softly to himself. Minion caught it anyway and tried to stifle a snicker.

"Don't worry Sir, when Miss Ritchi feels that leather, she'll be curling up in your lap and rubbing against you like a kitten," the fish promised.

Megamind looked shocked at his mild-mannered friend. "_Min_-yon!" he reproached his friend as the color that tinged his ears darkened and crept onto his cheeks. His eyes darted about and he started to say something, but it dissolved into an embarrassed chuckle. "Yes, well ... I suppose that would be ... rather nice." He smiled at the thought of such Heaven happening right in his lap. Then he shook his head sharply, trying to dislodge the impure desires such a train of thought led to ... which was getting to be more of an effort every day. To clear his head, he decided to wrestle with an emotional issue he'd been thinking of the last couple days. "Minion, I'm curious what your opinion is on something," Megamind confided. "How long do I have to wait before I can tell Roxanne that I love her?"

"I'm sure it will come as no surprise to her, Sir," Minion giggled. "She knows how you feel, and it's obvious to anyone that she returns those feelings."

Megamind smiled at that, but his brow was still creased. "Yes, but ... you watch all those 'chicks flicks,' you know what I mean. When someone says the 'L word' too soon, it makes everything awkward." He looked a bit chagrined and admitted, "I have that covered thoroughly as it is."

Minion smiled fondly at his best friend and assured him, "Sir, if you truly feel it, don't you think she'd like to know that?"

Megamind blinked at his wise little friend. He was still unsure but had to admit it sounded sensible enough. He didn't know what to say so only smiled gratefully and started to change his boots. When he had the new ones on, he walked around a bit to get a feel for the fit and happily reviewed his new footwear. "Excellent, Minion! Plenty of give but not too much. The arch is just right, too." The alien tailor beamed.

Then the thin but muscular arms snaked their way into the new gloves. "Ohhh, they're marvelous, Minion! So supple!" He turned and placed himself in front of his mirror, admiring the look of the new pieces, and finally adding the last touch, the cape. The leather was indeed conforming to Megamind's body, none of those odd stiff folds leather can get. The inside of the cape was lined with light blue satin with the subtle bolt outline pattern. Not one spike was to be found. His eyes roamed over the leather, feeling more in his own style, back in black. The collar on the cape was similar to his old leather one but somewhat smaller, allowing a bit more access to his ears and neck, something Roxanne would discover later and silently thank Minion for. "Very nice lines ... I kind of liked the fur collar," he said, thinking the best thing about it had been that Roxanne seemed to like nuzzling her face into it, "but it got distracting. And the more I looked at those stars, the more I could see Mr. Goody Two-Shoes collecting those stupid gold star stickers from the teacher, and it got old fast." He thought a moment and said, "Roxanne did say I looked good in white, even though she agreed black is stealthier for slipping through the shadows ..."

"Already looked into it, Sir ..." Minion anticipated the thought, "... and yes, we can do the same style in white for dress occasions." Megamind smiled knowingly at his pal. That scaly little creature was a genius in his own way.

The hours seemed to drag on while waiting for the time to call Roxanne. Much of it he spent pondering his dilemma regarding communication of feelings. Should he try to be the first to say it? Is that what she would expect? Or would he be safer waiting for her to say it and then respond in kind? He recalled a saying, something about it being better to keep one's mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. But he also heard Minion's two cents on the subject, and realized Roxanne didn't like having things kept from her. He found himself frustrated and not really any closer to knowing what to do than before.

When 7 pm finally rolled around, Megamind dialed Roxanne's number and tapped his foot nervously, waiting for her to answer. After four rings he heard her sweet voice in his ear.

"Hi!" She was breathless, and he found the sound of her panting in his ear set his brain all a-buzz. "Sorry, I was just getting out of the shower."

Megamind smirked and imagined what he was missing. "Oh, sorry, I won't look ..." She burst out laughing. For some reason she imagined him putting a hand over his eyes, possibly peeking between the fingers, just to be funny.

"Oh, you!" she chided him. "I won't take long ... just have to figure out what I want to wear." Feeling playful, she added, "Any requests?" She could practically hear the evil grin.

"Hmmm ... a bikini perhaps?" He was flying his bad boy banner now.

"Oh, really?" she purred. "Sounds like you don't want to go out at all."

He considered that, but that would likely result in the scoundrel in him taking charge and he wasn't sure how tight he needed to keep the leash on that beast. "Well, it really depends on what you'd like to do. I'm happy in your company whatever the activity," he told her truthfully.

She sighed happily. "I feel the same way. I know we need to eat something ... how about a picnic? We could find a nice private spot and feed each other."

She was being downright frisky, he thought. He liked it. Letting her take the lead relieved him of the worry of boundaries. "Mnff ... sounds delicious on _so_ many levels!" His voice rumbled softly in Roxanne's ear, and she found that particular tone of his voice sent a warm shiver through her body.

_God, if he can get me this turned on with just his voice, what's it gonna do to me when we're alone somewhere and he starts using those lips? _She tried to ignore the familiar ache and focus on clothing. She chose her favorite tight black jeans, the ones that made her butt look so good. _Hey, if he's gonna make me crazy I might as well give as good as I get. _To those she added a dark blue velour short-sleeved blouse, knowing the texture of the fabric would give Megamind an excuse to run his hands over her, and was surprised by how much she liked that thought ... and how it was making her blush. _Ohhh, down girl! Stop and think ... just how far do I want things to go tonight? _She bit her lip and closed her eyes. Sooner or later he would be bold enough for things to hit that crossroads where you either put the brakes on or put the pedal to the metal, so to speak. And he seemed to take his cues about what was appropriate from her, so if she was wavering at the precipice ... _AAUGH!_

Deciding that she would just have to cross that discussion when they came to it, she finally spoke up again. "Mmm, yeah ... it does. So give me maybe 15 minutes, and I'll be ready, OK?"

Surprised at the disappointment he felt when the intensity of their flirting waned, he agreed. "See you then." His voice was soft now, and Roxanne felt herself sharing in the disappointment at the extinguishing of their banter. They both whispered quick goodbyes, and then he hung up first and turned his thoughts to transportation. He had decided to take the jet cycle, even though he wondered how Roxanne would feel about riding it again. He didn't think it would bring up any battle trauma, in fact she had seemed to take to it very well that day. In the end it had won out simply because she would have to hang on to him while riding. Minion had made some new items for the jet cycle recently as well, utilitarian and stylish and designed for a passenger's comfort. He checked to make sure they were attached. He hopped aboard and fired it up, yelling to his grinning buddy, "Don't wait up, Minion!"

The fish waved a robotic hand at him as he roared out of the lair. He had his own concerns flitting about his brain. Things could get very serious between these two very quickly. He didn't know what might come from that but decided that soon he would probably have to sit down with them and have a talk. At least Roxanne. Sir would know what to expect and would be behind him 100%, but what she would have to say about it, he wasn't sure about at all. He hoped she wouldn't try to discourage him from fulfilling his duty to his charge, because he simply couldn't avoid it. It was too important. _If it came to that at all_, he reminded himself. It was just as likely they would never have to worry about it. But, just in case, he wanted her to know.

Roxanne was so nervous and excited she forgot one of her own hard-and-fast rules: always use the peephole before opening the door. She kicked herself mentally as the door pulled away from the jam, but it was too late. By that time it was punted open by the strange little man on the other side. _Oh, crab nuggets! The ONE time I forget ... _The next thing she knew, he fired a strange looking crossbow-type weapon at her, and she felt herself being dragged backward against the wall, held in place by a bolo net with little hooks embedded in the plaster. She watched, dumbfounded, as the squat man waddled in her doorway and snortled at her. He was disgusting. He was wearing one of those tacky spider costumes where the extra limbs were attached to the arms by string, and a furry bustle was strapped to his backside. He had tried his best to make his face look like a spider's too, donning a pair of goggles with multi-faceted lenses and his mustache trimmed to resemble those hooky things around what serves as their mouth. He had bad teeth and unfortunately got close enough that she could tell he had the bad breath to match.

"Come into my parlor, my pretty!" He produced spittle with each P sound, and Roxanne's skin crawled.

"It's MY 'parlor' ..." she pointed out, pissing him off right away. Then she looked him up and down and commented, "What a fitting costume for an insignificant little BUG!"

"How _DARE _you disrespect_ ... _THE WEBMASTER!" he bellowed dramatically.

Roxanne groaned. "Really? THAT'S your villain name?" He looked at her sourly while she shook her head. "Look ... I'm really looking forward to my date with Megamind, so I'll give you a one-time-only offer; if you let me go and leave, I won't tell him about you and your asinine name and costume, and you'll get to avoid being dehydrated and waking up in prison. Your call."

The comical criminal laughed, a sound that seemed more like pigs in slop. "Megamind is a fool! He had this city by the short hairs, and he let it go for ..." he looked Roxanne up and down and assessed her worth thusly, "... a cheap piece of tail." She wished she could kick that smug expression off of his face.

Megamind had set his jet cycle down on her balcony just moments before and slipped in the glass doors in time to hear the clueless evil creep insult his love, speaking about her like she was a common tramp. And dared to tie her up to boot! He felt the fire of rage lick up his neck and set his blood to boiling. There was no reason guiding his movements now, pure instinct and emotion moved him to stand behind the pathetic excuse for a villain while he babbled on about how he would crush Megamind when he came through that door. If Roxanne's hero hadn't been so upset he might have toyed with the dork first but he was in no mood. This was cutting into date time.

"When I can just take all the money he put back in the banks, I'll get better webbing, and the entire city will be my captive!" His slobbering guttural laughter was truncated by a black leather-clad hand grabbing his shoulder roughly and spinning him around to face the fiercest pair of green eyes boring through him from a sky-blue face. That hand and its brother snatched two handsful of the ill-fitting arachnid outfit and yanked the wearer up and into Megamind's eyeline. As the blue lips curled back revealing a vicious snarl, the eight-legged loser gulped out, "Uh-oh ..."

Roxanne was thoroughly digging this scene. It was much different being saved from a real creep by her beautiful blue boyfriend than it had been when Metro Man would "save" her from that boyfriend while they were still pretending their hearts hadn't recognized each other the moment they met. She might not admit it out loud, but there was no use trying to convince herself otherwise ... watching Megamind growl over this putz, seeing the intent to do bodily harm blazing in those emerald eyes ... was HOT.

In a flash the portly bad guy was hammered into unconsciousness by a single blow from the giant blue head. Megamind had actually been so furious he head-butted the freak. Roxanne wondered if she should be concerned that she wasn't at all disturbed by this move, rather the opposite really. She quickly decided no. She was too busy being in awe of her action man.

After knocking the idiot into the middle of next week, Megamind dropped him to the floor and snapped out, "Enjoy the pretty birdies!" before turning his attention to Roxanne. She had a sweet expression on her face that seemed lit by a spark of love, and he closed the distance between them in a single bound.

"Are you alright?" he asked in that husky tone that melted Roxanne's butter.

She sighed and gazed in those bright green eyes she adored, lips curving as she coyly told him, "I am _now._"

He smiled at her voice's tone, feeling the flirty vibe between them return. He caressed her face and pressed her further. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," she reassured him, then glanced at the heap on the floor that used to be the unwanted visitor. "But it sure looks like _you_ hurt _him_ ... I had no idea that big noggin of yours was so dangerous." Her words were oozing playfulness, and Megamind felt a bit cocky and couldn't help but puff up a bit.

"Yeah, well ... anyone who messes with my girl can talk to the head!" He pointed to his impressively large cranium for emphasis.

Roxanne giggled. "Oh, my ... I feel safer already. Why don't you let me down from here so I can thank you properly?"

Megamind suddenly felt all giddy from her delivery of that line. "Oh, of course, sorry ..." He started to reach for the net but stopped and backed up a bit, looking over the rope design. "Is ... is that supposed to be a _spee-ider _web?" he asked incredulously.

"Oh, yeah, didn't you catch the _oh_-so-realistic spider costume?" Roxanne was bubbling over with laughs now. "Get this: he calls himself 'The Webmaster'!" The pair sputtered and began laughing hysterically.

"Ohh, no! You can't be serious!" Megamind wiped away a tear from laughing so hard. "That is hysterical!"

From the floor a flat voice protested, "It's not supposed to be funny, Steroid Smurf."

"SHUT UP!" The pair commanded in unison as they swiveled their gazes to pierce the last of the bravado from the bargain basement villain.

"This is a perfect opportunity to test my new Rodeobot." Megamind said crisply. "Rowdy! We have a calf to hogtie." His voice betrayed his glee at getting to humiliate this slimebag further. Roxanne smirked wickedly at his evil edge making an appearance.

_For a guy who's not really evil_, she declared in her head, _he really knows how to play the part. Why is that? And ... why do I like it so much? _There was a suave confidence about him right now that she just wanted to wallow in.

He smiled wistfully at her as he began to dislodge the bolo net one hooked ball at a time. "We certainly seem to spend a lot of time together with you in ropes," he noted, eyes dancing mischievously.

"Oh, GAG me!" the still-prone form on the floor muttered.

Roxanne was getting mighty tired of this moron's mouth. The incensed reporter practically bit the miscreant's head off as she threatened him, "Look, buster! You are about 10 seconds away from going to prison as a CUBE! So CRAM IT, CREEP!"

One side of Megamind's mouth crept higher than the other in an admiring smile, and he leaned up to whisper in her ear, "Oooh, you're so _cute_ when you're angry!" Roxanne felt herself flush with warmth as her ear was tickled by his breath and the reverberation of his voice. He freed one of her hands and she gently stroked his forehead, watching him grit his teeth a bit when she hit the sore spot.

"I wish you'd be more careful of this big blue head ... I've grown rather attached to you, and I like the way your mind works_._ Though it _was_ pretty ... sexy, to see you attack him so ... primally." Her voice trailed off a bit, then she collected herself and tried to discourage him from injuring himself if he could help it. "But you really shouldn't make a habit of it. It's not good for you."

Megamind's penetrating gaze made her blush anew, as he worked to free her other hand and his face hovered tantalizingly close to her other ear. He just couldn't resist asking, "You find me sexy?"

Roxanne's breath shuddering from the sensation of his low murmur in her ear canal answered his question for her, but she left no doubt and gasped, "Yes."

When Megamind freed her other hand, Roxanne wrapped her arms around his strong shoulders and pulled him closer. While he let his hands work on disengaging the rest of the net from the wall, the two lovers nuzzled noses. Soon neither one could stop their wandering lips from finding one another, and she found herself firmly sandwiched between him and the wall. Not that she was complaining ... or planning on letting him loose anytime soon. They were eventually interrupted by the raucous bowging of the Rodeobot flying in to do its duty. Megamind reluctantly curtailed his desire and observed the little bot swoop down on the human mess in the stupid costume and hold his limbs (all eight of them) together while tying a rope around them and knotting it tight. Then the cyborg darted away with its clawed metal arms raised high, celebrating a record time with its first real evil subject.

"Good bot, Rowdy," the genius rewarded his latest creation with praise. "Got a cargo net handy?" The little bot complied and produced a net from the same small storage compartment on its underside that the rope had come from. Momentarily it proudly patted the bundle of joy that would be presented to the warden.

Roxanne snickered. "Oh, that one's a pistol!" Her recognition got Rowdy's attention, and it zipped to her for pats on its dome, which Roxanne cheerfully supplied. "Ya did good, pardner. That calf ain't goin' nowhare," she drawled comically. Rowdy jostled about in place, limbs hanging loosely while bouncing, as though it were laughing at her performance.

Megamind had kept one arm around her waist as the other went back to removing the net. Finally he lifted her free of the last connected parts of the net at her feet and his eyes never left hers as he let her slowly slip down his front, melting against him. This hero work was getting to be a lot of fun. He hugged her and buried his nose in her hair. He loved that hair of hers. The feeling of it ghosting over his skin was indescribably exciting. But he had another concern at the moment. He sighed and relaxed his grip on her, leaning back to catch her eye. "I programmed the location of the prison into Rowdy along with a directive to take criminals there when instructed, but since this would be his first run, I think it would be prudent to follow along behind to make sure he gets there and makes the delivery correctly." He seemed to be apologizing for having to derail their date temporarily.

"On the jet bike?" Roxanne asked excitedly, looking towards the balcony. "I've been wanting to ride that thing again, without a building chasing us ... and with _you_ this time."

The look in her eyes gave Megamind ideas he immediately scolded himself for. He was a man, after all. Can't blame the stray thoughts for popping in there, you just have to blast them before they try to take over the world. You could learn a lot from "Ghostbusters," he reflected. "Great!" he exclaimed. "After we drop the sleazebag off, we can go find private picnic grounds, maybe somewhere along the beach?"

"Perfect," Roxanne agreed. "Just let me pack our picnic, I was interrupted before I could get around to it. C'mon, rummage through the fridge with me and see what you'd like to take."

When they'd picked out a proper snack spread, Megamind went out on the balcony and got the new leather saddlebags from the jet cycle to pack it all in and secured them in place with snaps to the second seat that had been added for her, a detail that did not go unappreciated by its passenger. The alien leapt onto the front seat and gave his lady a hand up to her seat. Once settled in it she wrapped her arms firmly around her boyfriend's midsection and hugged his back, rubbing her face against his new cape. "Ohhh ... this is such soft leather! Is it new?" she inquired.

_Oh, my lord ... Minion was right! _"Yes, Minion just finished it, and the gloves and boots too." She ran her hands over his arms and hummed approvingly. "Nothing to injure yourself on now," he extolled the virtues of his new accessories. To his relief, she did not speculate as to the origin of the material. She was just enjoying the scent and the feel and ... well, just holding the man she loved. "Rowdy!" Megamind snapped, "Take out the trash, boy, off to the prison!" Rowdy tried to pick up the portly perp but decided to call some of its brethren to help. In moments two brainbots that had followed Rowdy came in and assisted, and they flew off, making sure to fly high enough to scare him. Then to Roxanne he said, "Hold on tight, my dear."

"Mmmm, gladly!" she mumbled against his back, putting a wicked grin on his face. As the jet cycle accelerated after the prison-bound bot, Roxanne tightened her grip on his muscular torso and giggled from the sensation of her stomach taking a later flight and that of the thrumming engine between her legs. She was more confused about her feelings than ever. Not about whether she loved him, that much was crystal clear to her now, but the subject she was having trouble focusing on was when to dive into the deep end of the passion pool. Clearly her body had already cast its vote. Her heart seemed to be ready to agree with her impatient flesh. Her mind was still reeling with the speed of the transition of their relationship and just felt like she needed more time to be completely comfortable with him prior to laying herself bare before him physically and emotionally. But when asked by the other factions in this war _what exactly _she was waiting for, she had no answer for herself. She assumed she would just feel different and know when it felt right. Or maybe it was just hard to take the first step in a journey when you've waited for so long your legs have fallen asleep. The biggest problem was her mind had not quite reached the epiphany that it would always be confused on this, due to lack of blood available to run brain cells whenever the subject came up.

Megamind felt just as adrift in uncertainty as Roxanne did, except he had no compunction about making love with her the second she wished it to be so. He intended to claim her as his mate, indeed in his heart he already considered her his. A bit presumptuous? No. He believed with every fiber of his being that for the universe to put such a convoluted chain of events into motion that would lead them from an adversarial relationship to one of romantic compatibility, they _must_ be destined to be together. But he did worry about how far it would be appropriate to go at this juncture. He was of the opinion that men have it tougher in that respect, they have to find that delicate balance between how masculine and take-charge a woman needed them to behave to be excited, and how gentle and patient they needed them to be to feel safe and comfortable enough to allow some slack in the reins. Just how far could seduction progress before it became too aggressive? The answer was ephemeral as it depended on the woman's mood at any given time, and women had a wide range of emotions, tricky to navigate. These were awfully deep philosophical issues to tackle when your brain stem reads a couple quarts low on blood. But he wanted to err on the side of caution. He wanted her to be fully cognizant of what she was doing and have no doubts that it was what she wanted. He didn't want it to be some pathetic sneak attack she would regret later. After all, if he hoped to make her long for nightly encores of his performance, it had to be a positive experience for her first and foremost. He had yet to realize just how much his temptress found _him_ tempting.

The two were enjoying the thrill of the speed and the wind on their faces, and the panicky screams of "Captain Crazylegs," as Roxanne had dubbed him, had them both cackling as though Megamind were still a villain and she had acquiesced to be his evil queen. Soon they were descending to the prison, seeing Rowdy's roundup gang had deposited their unhappy package in front of the guard shack at the entrance before zipping off back home. The few guards on duty out front laughed at the costume once they got him out of the net and started hauling him inside. They waved to Megamind and Roxanne as the jet cycle swooped overhead, coming to a hover by the window of the warden's office. The alien's father figure had heard the laughter of his guards and was already at the window, smirking at the sight of the man his little Blue had grown into on his flying cycle with Roxanne Ritchi wrapped around him grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

Megamind leaned on his arms draped loosely over the handlebars and shot the warden an easy smile. "Got a delivery for you, Warden. That annoying little insect dared crawl into Roxanne's apartment, and I was tempted to squish him, but thought better of it ... figured I'd release him here. Get a load of his costume before giving him the Pumpkin Princess jumpsuit. I know you can always use a good laugh."

"Oh, and be sure to a-ask his villain na-a-ame," Roxanne chortled, and Megamind joined her in her mirth. Grey eyebrows raised in appraisal of the chemistry on display. The bond between them was as obvious to the gruff administrator as if they were tied together with a big blue ribbon.

"Evening, Megamind, Miss Ritchi," he nodded his head in a sort of shortened bow to Roxanne, which she returned with greetings. He peered at Megamind and broke out in a grin. "I'd ask how you're doing, Hero, but judging by your passenger you're doing quite well."

Megamind peeked back over his shoulder at his girlfriend, and one hand slid over her hands which were clasped casually across his belly. "Oh, yes ... precious cargo," he smiled and sighed, a sound of pure contentment. Roxanne smiled happily and nuzzled her cheek against his back.

This man who had devoted his life to the confinement of prisoners knew that with someone who had demonstrated the level of recidivism that the wily alien had, rehabilitation was rare. But it appeared that it had happened in this case, and he couldn't be happier for the former inmate. Or, for that matter, the independent young woman who had taken a shine to her former captor. _Strangest courtship in history, _the elder man considered, but had always gone by the philosophy that if it ain't broke, you don't try to fix it. _If it worked for them, Hallelujah. _"Do me a favor, Miss Ritchi, and keep him out of trouble. We've already given away his room ..." he flashed an immature smile and reported, "... and Hal _hates_ it!" The three shared a snicker over this news.

Roxanne moved one of her hands to cover the blue one that still rested on her other hand, his slender fingers absently stroking along hers interlaced with them. "Don't worry, Warden," she assured the authority figure. "He's _my_ prisoner now ... a prisoner of love. And I'm never letting him go." She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back.

Then it snapped into Megamind's brain what he'd just heard. _ She_ had used the "L word!" She had declared her feelings, and right in front of someone else! She was claiming him publicly. He could hardly believe it. For half a second he wondered if he should wait for a private moment to ditto the sentiment, but since she had ventured to express it with an audience, he would too. Somehow it felt even more special to know she wasn't shy about letting the world know what he meant to her. He twisted his torso and head so he could see her beautiful blue eyes and spoke softly, "I love you too, Roxanne."

She disentangled her hands from his and wrapped her arms up around his chest to rest her hands on his shoulders. She pulled herself up and forward and whispered in his ear, "I love you more!" She giggled watching the color that stained his ears grow and spread.

"Oh, ho ho, I don't know about that," Megamind chuckled playfully.

"_I_ do," the reporter said with firm certainty.

Megamind found he liked the sound of her saying those words. He fancied hearing her say them in a more ceremonial setting.

The warden shook his head and shooed them on their way, "All right, you crazy kids, get outta here ... and have a good night!"

The couple waved goodbye, and the jet cycle rose up towards the clouds and headed for the shoreline.


	4. Beach Blanket Boingo

**The Journey To Us**

Chapter 4: Beach Blanket Boingo

_Hello my friends, I am so sorry these take so long. Let's hope it's worth it to you. :)_

_OK, first off you must all go worship Hunger4Righteousness, for without her this would take even longer. She is a wonderful muse and I don't think I tell her often enough how grateful I am that she can put up with my nonsense. ;) Thank you H4R!_

_Yes, I stole something from Extreme Ghostbusters for this one. My eternal respect and a virtual cookie to those who can spot it. Sorry, Eduardo, you're cool but there's a NEW goatee in town! *Wicked laugh*_

As the jet cycle zipped through the sky towards the shoreline, Megamind was, outwardly at least, the picture of cool. His innards, however, were doing the dance of joy, stomach flip-flopping and heart palpitating. All due to the adventuresome lass hugging him tightly, who to his astonishment loved him and didn't care who knew. She had even taken notice of the fact that the cycle was quieter than it had been during her previous ride and expressed her appreciation that he thought to equip it with a muffler so they could speak without yelling over the engine. Little things like that impressed her just because he'd thought of her and set out to do something nice.

He was so elated that had he been alone he might have been executing barrel rolls and loop-de-loops. But he would take no chances with his mate aboard. She was more precious to him than all the money and power in the world. Absentmindedly he began humming an old forgotten tune.

With her ear pressed to his back as she watched the waves crash below Roxanne heard the melodic rumbling in his chest and curiosity got the better of her. "What song is that?" she asked near his ear, "I don't recognize it."

"Oh!" Snapping out of his reverie, Megamind stammered, "Oh, well it's ... well, it's just a silly old song that came to mind ... a bit like our situation at the moment ..."

"Us? Really? How so?" When he hesitated she prodded, "Sing me the part that makes you think of us." Just for good measure she added, while playing with his earlobe, "Pretty pleeeease?" And zing went the strings of his heart.

After spending his adult life showing a taste for mostly hard rock & heavy metal, he was a bit embarrassed to admit that in his youth he had enjoyed such bubblegum music, but he could refuse her nothing, especially when she asked so sweetly. "Well, it was just part of the chorus that popped up ..." and he began to sing.

"You'll be the queen of my highway, my motorcycle mama

and we'll see the world from my Harley."

Then he spoke, quickly adding, "So, it's not a Harley per se, but there's quite a few Harley parts on it."

It wouldn't have mattered to her if it was a pedal car. She loved the sound of his voice anyway, and hearing his serenade had her feeling more smitten than ever. She hugged him tighter and released a happy sigh. "Cute song ... and your voice is _dreamy._"

He'd had a couple of seconds to consider how he felt about being accused of singing something "cute" when her sultry tones declaring his vocals "dreamy" registered in his consciousness. Warmth washed through him and he felt more content than he'd ever been in his life. He circled over a secluded section of beach and submitted it for her approval. "This looks like as good a place as any to have our picnic, what say you?"

"Beautiful." Roxanne sounded her agreement. The jet cycle swooped down to the sand. Megamind set the vehicle down then dismounted and helped Roxanne step down into his embrace. "It's kind of chilly, huh? I should have brought a jacket." She slid her arms around his back under the cape to keep the breeze from raising goose bumps on her arms. "Guess you'll just have to keep me warm," she said softly as her nose joined his in an Eskimo kiss.

_That shouldn't be difficult, with the fever you've set ablaze in me, temptress. _His thoughts found voice in a vaguely evil chuckle as he journeyed deeper into her eyes while engaging in nose fencing. "If you like I can build a fire, then we'll be nice and cozy," he offered.

"Mmmm ... good idea!" Roxanne encouraged his romantic notions with a soft kiss. "I'll lay out the blanket and food while you scrounge up some driftwood."

There was certainly plenty of it around, so in less than a minute Megamind had gathered quite an impressive pile of the dryer pieces and then sat on the blanket beside his love, smiling at her adoringly.

Roxanne noted the woodpile and cocked her head curiously at her paramour. "Aren't you going to light it?" she queried.

Without taking his eyes off her or breaking his smile, he swiftly pulled his De-Gun from its holster and fired at the wood, coaxing roaring flames from the gnarled logs. The corners of his mouth hitched up higher as he spun the gun on his finger before sliding it back in place on his thigh.

Roxanne was clearly amused, her nose wrinkling as she giggled at his graceful, and just a bit cocky, performance. "Show off." she teased him. "Was that the destroy setting? What if we'd been suddenly attacked and you needed the dehydration setting quickly?"

The saucy alien stretched out on his side, propping his head on the heel of his left hand. "You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Sweetheart."

Roxanne snickered at his paraphrasing of Super Chicken. "Thanks for not calling me Fred." This had them both dissolving into giggles.

"Well, my dear," he began in his most masculine timbre, as he removed his gloves, "what would you like me to feed you first?"

Roxanne was only slightly surprised to hear a voice from the back of her mind mutter something about another taste of those sweet blue lips, gently scolded that naughty part of her psyche to wait its turn and scanned the snack spread. "I'll have an apple slice topped with cheddar cheese."

It was Megamind's turn to tilt his head in question. "Fruit and cheese together?" One side of his nose wrinkled a bit.

"Yeah!" she replied brightly. "They're good together. I've even heard people melt cheese on hot apple pie ... we'll have to try that sometime."

He wasn't convinced but pieced the combo together and held it out for her to take a bite. He found himself envying the dairy-laden apple as her lips enveloped it. Something in the back of his mind was doing a pretty good Jiminy Cricket impression, blathering something about self-control but he couldn't be bothered. It was just too fascinating a show _not_ to watch. He swallowed and let out a throaty sigh.

Roxanne was thoroughly enjoying seeing her man's reaction to her eating. She milked it a bit by licking her lips, smirking at the flustered look and breathy growl it prompted from him. She was feeling very confident and playful and then got the idea to get something going for her viewing pleasure. "Want to try it? I think you'd like it." She picked up the two ingredients and waved the finger foods teasingly in his direction.

The alien's eyebrows arched then dipped down as he assumed a playfully predatory expression, causing his love to snicker. His head moved forward and strong white teeth gnashed on a bite of the snack she waggled at him. He savored the blend of flavors and had to admit, "That _is _good! I'd never have thought it." He closed his lips over the remainder of the treat in his girlfriend's fingers, kissing the tips as they released the food. The tip of his tongue darted out and flicked across the pads of her fingers as he eyed her with a wicked waggle of his brow.

Roxanne's eyes grew wider at his oral attentions, and her smirk turned more crooked. _Mnff, how can his lips be so soft and so strong at the same time? And if he's as good with that tongue as he is with those lips, I'm in big trouble ... hnnn but oh, man that is my kind of trouble. _Deciding what's good for the goose is good for the gander, Roxanne voiced her next selection. "Now I wanna try strawberries dipped in whipped cream."

The owner of the largest most complex brain on the planet became aware of sections of that impressive organ going numb as he wrapped it around the implications of her choice. He purposely made a messy job of dipping so there'd be plenty of excess whipped cream on his fingers. _Oh, there is still some semblance of an evil streak in me, isn't there? _The look in her eyes suggested she knew he'd overloaded on purpose ... and liked the idea. His gaze bored into her as he beheld her slowly lap a dollop of cream from the tip of the strawberry and then slid her lips over the moist fruit and closed them over his fingertips, grazing her teeth against them biting into the soft seedy surface and tugging it from his grip. He didn't realize his breathing had become so ragged during her exaggerated show of chewing, though this time she didn't lick her lips. She wasn't going to bother since she knew she'd be adding more in a few seconds. As she leaned closer and gently sucked the remaining dessert topping from his fingers one by one, his brain had reverted to mostly simple, primal thoughts that had little use for language. In fact the only three words that his mind was capable of forming as the soft suction of her luscious lips caressed his fingers were: _LORD ... HAVE ... MERCY._

_Wow, maybe I better go easy on him before he goes all Scanners on me. _Roxanne dialed back from sexy to shy, and started a conversation to distract from the heat that threatened to engulf them both. "I really liked you singing to me before ... I've heard some lyrics that remind me of you too."

The fog surrounding the giant blue head cleared a bit and he focused on her and flashed a sweet smile. "Really? Oh, please tell me I get to hear you sing them!" His enthusiasm spilled over and he grasped one of her hands in both of his.

_Heh, that did the trick. _"OK ... but my voice isn't as good as yours, so just remember, you asked for it." She took a deep breath and sang, softly and a bit unsteady at first but settling into a richer performance quickly.

"I don't care who you are, where you're from, what you did,

As long as you love me."

Megamind knew he wore a lovesick expression, but couldn't help it, that was how he felt. "Roxanne," he whispered, "I love your voice. It's beautiful." One of his slender arms reached out and hooked around her waist, pulling her closer. His face nestled into the soft recesses of her neck and as she released a pleased moan he raised his mouth nearer to her ear and said in a low smooth purr, "You could sing the phone book and I'd be happy."

_Ohhhh, that was a short trick ... _the sensual pastel lips explored every curve of her ear, barely ghosting over several very sensitive spots and making it even worse by letting a quiet chuckle waft over his lips to tickle a spot deeper inside her ear that the lips could never reach, when he observed her reaction; head tilted back, upper lip twitching up a tiny bit, and her hands grasping at his back while a needy whimper escaped her throat. Having identified the spot that seemed to arouse her the most, he decided to see what effect a little lingual stimulation would have. Upon the tip of his tongue slithering quickly into the notch that ear buds sit in, her desire flared and a gravelly groan broke free as she clutched his body nearer. _OhhhH! Mmm, yeahhh ... ohh, two can play this game, space cowboy! _Self control took a vacation and she dove in to feast on his tender neck. Feeling his body arch against her and hearing the strangled cry of pleasure from him, she knew he was just as malleable to her touch as she was to his. She undid the clasp of his cape and exposed a tender spot just where his neck met his collarbone, which she kissed softly and then sucked on gently, then not so gently. He gasped and hissed under her ministrations.

"Augh! Roxanne! Y-you're driving me craAzy!" Their eyes caught each other, both sets dark with lust. They pressed their faces close together and brushed lips, breathing heavily.

"Yeah, well ... we're even then," the reporter mumbled before locking lips in a deep, warm kiss that had her wondering just how long she thought she could hold out against her persistent libido. _How the Hell does he make me feel this way? I never got THIS_ _excited making out with other guys. _A vague thought reminded her that she _was_ in that time of life when women's drives went into overdrive, presumably Mother Nature's way of trying to offer incentive for getting in on the breeding years.

Megamind was riding high on a gnarly wave of hormones like he hadn't dealt with since high school. His body kept begging his mind to let it do things he wasn't sure were appropriate so soon. The body declared his brain a party pooper. His brain took umbrage to that and set to work on a plan to give his body a peace offering. Since the main thing it had been campaigning for was to shift position from being alongside Roxanne's body to being more ... above her, but mentally he was certain that would be too aggressive, he deduced that it might not be perceived as threatening if the roles were reversed. He snaked his left arm under her right arm and up around her back, allowing him an excuse to roll onto his back, his grip around her waist with his right arm naturally carrying her upper body to rest atop him, her hip leaning in making contact with his groin. _There! Happy now, you horndog? Just try not to grind against her too much ... _His hands began to wander over her blouse, body and mind finally agreeing; the texture of the fabric felt exquisite.

_Hmnnnggg ... I knew he'd like this top! _For her part, Roxanne was doing her damnedest not to climb the rest of the way on top of the taut body that felt so good pressed into hers. She was waging her own battle with her physical self, but her body was more cunning than her mind gave it credit for. It gained ground by tiny increments, rocking gently forward and relaxing, but pushing further each time. Her mind didn't really notice because it was too busy arguing with her leg, absolutely rejecting its petition to hook around his thigh and pull him in even closer.

_Ugnnnh! Yes, I'm aware that she's doing most of the grinding but that's good! Doesn't mean you should try to keep up the same pace! _Maybe because of their singing earlier, random lyrics drifted across his mind in an attempt to distract from thinking what she would feel like without all those clothes in the way. _And you want her, and she wants you, no one, no one, no one ever is to blame. _In the spirit of those lyrics, his body began convincing him that if she was allowing things to progress this far, maybe she wanted more. And if his lady wanted something, he should see that she got it. _Well, that makes sense, she is a passionate woman, after all. Eventually she's going to want me to 'rock her world,' right? I just hope I'm up to the task. _A sharp twitch in his crotch was the body's equivalent of saying "You're kidding, right?" His body knew it was winning this argument. And it was pretty sure Roxanne was on its side, the way she was behaving. The rhythmic ebb and flow of the waves seemed to urge them on at a subconscious level.

She was faltering in the debate with her flesh as well. By the time she realized what her body had been up to, her leg had worked out a compromise by sneaking in between his legs. One muscular thigh found itself wrapped in the embrace of two soft feminine versions of itself. It happily obliged to conspire with her body's plans by rising up to meet her gyrations, giving her something solid to press into and also keeping her from sliding backwards too much.

He could detect a change in her body heat felt through his pants as his hips rose against her and the source of a now-maddening throb rubbed nearer to its ultimate destination. His brain was operating on precious little blood and so was allowing the more primitive portion of the organ to take charge. Its version of command was to decree _Unless she stops the festivities, let the beat go on. _His body heartily approved and celebrated by grasping her waist more tightly and hauling her up squarely on top of him finally. 

Upon her weight settling atop him both felt a bolt of arousal shoot through them, as the boldest part of his anatomy nuzzled firmly against its puny counterpart. Their heated kiss broke in a mutual groan, breath mingling and warming their cheeks, and their eyes locked. They had been operating purely on physical instinct, following one of the most basic of primal messages; if it feels good, do it. But the humanity they encountered in each other's eyes snapped them back to more thoughtful matters. It felt like seeing into each other's souls. And somehow, pillaging each other's bodies just didn't feel completely right yet. Oh, elements of it felt wonderful, but ... they both had reason to need more security before throwing away the oars of their relationship and setting it adrift on a violent sea of passion.

Concentration was still ragged as their breathing, since that very act caused their bodies to move against each other just enough to stall cohesive thought. Roxanne broke the tension with a shy smile, and Megamind revealed a sheepish grin. "Sorry ..." he mumbled softly, "... I think I got carried away ..." He bit his lip, and briefly wondered about the origins of that action ... _maybe I'm just trying to keep from babbling, _he mused.

Roxanne grinned and caressed his cheek lovingly. "No sorrys," she asserted. "If you didn't notice, I wasn't pushing you away with my lips, I was giving as good as I got." A devilish streak flashed through her for a moment and she indulged herself in another step from the "Time Warp" dance, a slow pelvic thrust to make a point. "Just because it's not as _obvious _on girls doesn't mean we don't feel the same way." This time she was afforded the opportunity to watch his reaction. That expression was worth a little more frustration.

"OHh _gawd_ Roxanne!" he growled, grasping her hips tighter to keep his hands too occupied to execute their latest plan, getting a couple of handfuls of those sweet round cheeks filling out that denim so nicely. _Stop it, you animal! _he admonished himself sternly, even while he buried his nose in her hair and tasted the skin of her neck. His hips refused to be entirely still.

_Oh, boy ... is this an 'E-ticket' ride? _her poor muddled brain managed to ruminate before blanking out during the pleasurable sensations he was sending through her nervous system. In a last desperate attempt to regain control, a small voice in the back of her mind resorted to reminding her exactly where they were. _Do you really want to do this here? You will get sand in places you didn't know you HAD places! _"Ohhh-kaaaay, I-I think we better take a break!" she yelped nervously as his hands slid up her back _under_ her shirt.

He had no choice but to offer his hands the chance to slip unnoticed under the cloth that, as soft and interesting a texture as it was, paled in comparison to her silky skin. Otherwise they were poised to raise a mutiny and pounce on the soft buttocks that could hypnotize him like a cobra when she walked. He winced when she rolled off him, the slide down was nice but immediately followed by the body protesting the breaking of contact. _You've done it now. _Feeling a bit exposed, he rolled back onto his side and casually draped his cape in front of himself. _Yeah, that'll work, Captain Cranium ... she couldn't have noticed you poking her with it like a deranged mahout._

Roxanne pretended not to notice his slight-of-cape moves. Her body was none too happy with her at the moment either. She noticed the hint of disappointment in the otherworldly eyes she adored so and consoled him, resting her forehead against his and cupping his cheek in her hand. "Aww, don't pout sweetie ... I just need to take a breather ... you have the power to cloud my mind ... but I like it." She smiled when she saw that gleam return to his eyes and closed hers, his scent filling her nostrils relaxing her and exciting her all at once.

Blue eyelids slid closed and insecurities began to brew. All his life he'd been made acutely aware of his differences and how they cut him off from any hope of fitting in with others. He was determined not to let those differences ruin this for him. He did some hard thinking about what her company meant to him, and what he'd be willing to sacrifice to keep it. "Roxanne ..." he breathed, opening his eyes to see hers trained on him, "I want you to understand that I ... don't want to pressure you. I love you ... no matter what. You can have all the time you want ... and, I don't even care if you never feel comfortable enough to do the things with me that you've done with other men ... _human_ m-." His last word was blocked by a finger pressing his lips shut.

Roxanne's eyes had widened during his rambling speech, but she was prepared to hear him out 'til the word 'human' dripped from his lips in a tone that told her how painful it was for him to admit how isolated he had always, and still, felt. He was being more open with her than anyone ever had been, and it touched her that he was allowing his feelings to be laid bare. "Megamind ... I don't care what nonsense Wayne or anyone else put in your head, but I read those medical records of yours cover to cover. You are scientifically classified as humanoid. That makes you human. You're not Terrestrial, but that just makes you a different race. Last time I checked, we were supposed to have grown beyond that sort of prejudice on this planet." She searched his eyes with hers and made sure she held his gaze ... it was time to share something that made her feel very awkward. "And by the way, if you could feel the way my body is _aching_ for yours right now, you would know I _want _to do things with you ... things I've never done with _anyone_." She peered at him harder to drive home the point.

His expressive face had been frozen in a mask of uncertainty but this new input changed everything. Relief washed over his features, but he raised a quizzical brow. "You? Really?" He thrilled at the blush glowing in her cheeks as she nodded. He smiled gently at her and spoke in a rough whisper. "I'd have thought every man in Metrocity would be lined up around the block for a chance to be with you."

The blush conquered more of her face as she shrugged with a lopsided smirk. "Well, I made out with a couple of guys in junior high, but nothing as hot and heavy as we just did. Most guys were intimidated by smart girls, and I wasn't willing to pretend to be a brainless bimbo to get guys' attention."

Megamind looked surprised and indignant. "Why would they want you to deny your intellect?" he asked then continued in a soft genuine tone, "Your mind is the most _exciting_ thing about you! I'm glad you never hid your light under a bushel from me, Roxanne."

She smiled sweetly at him and skimmed her fingernails over his head and down his neck, sending shivers through him. "I knew you could appreciate it." As she continued her blue eyes cast downward. "Back then, the few guys that could get past it didn't stick around when they realized I wasn't going to just jump into the sack with them."

"Fools." Megamind growled in declaration.

Roxanne smiled gratefully at him. "And once I had two intimidating aliens fighting over me, I became invisible. No one was willing to risk Wayne's wrath, or yours. I heard one guy at a station Christmas party mutter something about not wanting to be dehydrated for the new year as he turned on his heel and walked away." She was actually amused by it, he noted.

"Fools and cowards!" he bit off. "You know none of those men were good enough for you, anyway, Roxanne." He conjured up a roguish smile and caressed her face as if it were a delicate flower.

She nuzzled her face into his hand. "You are." It wasn't a question.

He beamed at her. "Then you really aren't bothered by my looks?"

"Bothered?" She gaped at him. "Sweetheart, I ..." she sighed and suddenly had a light bulb blink on. "Megamind ... obviously you won't believe that I find you physically attractive until I let my baser instincts come forward and tell you in no uncertain terms." She grinned and poked a finger gently into his chest. "Get ready to be objectified, Sugar Lips."

The alien was sure the corners of his mouth must be meeting behind his head somewhere. This was just too delicious. He was about to be sexually harassed by Roxanne Ritchi. He clamped his teeth over his lower lip to curb the giggles.

Roxanne now wore a wolfish grin and leered at him openly. "Mnnf ... where to begin? For one thing, you have the most amazing eyes. They were the first thing about you that I caught myself admiring. They're all these shades of green layered together, like some lush primeval forest." Those eyes sparkled like emeralds at her praise. "And a quiver full of sweet 'n' sexy smiles, every one an arrow right to my heart." As she spoke, an index finger traced his lips, forcing a tiny snicker from his throat.

"I love these wickedly expressive eyebrows ..." she continued, "... and I've always thought your goatee is _Hella_ sexy." she purred lustily, moving the finger that had traced his lip seconds before to pet the strip of hair as one might a wooly caterpillar. Then she leaned forward and brushed her lips against it, humming in appreciation of the feeling. "I love the way it tickles."

Megamind wondered how he could feel like he was turning to jelly when at least one part of him was solid as a rock.

Roxanne next began to tease her finger along one ear, eliciting a low moan from its owner. "I've always been fascinated by your ears. This subtle little point, and the way they're tinged with that pretty fuchsia that tints your cheeks when you blush. Yeah, just like that." She smirked as his face flushed as if on cue. "It compliments your skin so well ... which, by the way, is my favorite shade of blue." She tipped her head in contemplation. "It kind of reminds me of those roses that are mostly one color but the petals are tipped with another." She rolled her eyes. "I know, no guy wants to be told he's pretty like a flower ... "

Megamind's eyes sparkled mischievously and he pasted on a sweet smile. "You can call me 'Flower' ... if you want to." he said shyly, then giggled at his own silliness.

Roxanne's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "You've seen 'Bambi'?" she asked incredulously.

"Of course!" he said as if it were a ridiculous question, "Walt Disney was a creative genius, and his works were readily available in the prison library. In fact, that's about all they wanted to let me see when I was a kid." He stopped short of telling her how he owned the whole Disney film catalog on VHS _and _DVD ... she'd find out eventually. But there'd be no blaming it on Minion now.

"Mmm ... well, you've certainly got me 'Twitterpated'," sighed the newswoman. Then recalling what she was in the midst of doing she returned to treating him like a piece of meat to be graded. "Of course, I can't overlook the big head. It reminds me what a magnificent brain you have ... and the thoughts of what creative lovemaking that unique mind can come up with are very enticing." Her nails scratched lightly over the top of his head and he shuddered. "Your skin is so soft," she breathed out pensively as she enjoyed the feel of sliding the pads of her fingers over his cranial covering. They slipped down his neck and played around his collar, and her smirk began to resemble that of the Grinch. "I can't help but wonder if the rest of it is that soft."

_Evil Heaven above, she is good at unraveling my mind. _"You hereby have permanent permission to find out any time you like," he told her sweetly.

"Oh, good ... but for tonight, I'll leave you dressed," she allowed, "... since it is cold. But, that doesn't mean I can't touch you anyway, to feel this ..." Her hands roamed over his physique, squeezing the muscles occasionally as though she were shopping for ripe fruit. "... sweet defined musculature." Now Roxanne got as bold as she was going to on this date, and dropped one hand below his belt and filled it with gluteus maximus. "Which gets even sweeter down south. It doesn't happen often 'cause the cape is always in the way, but when I get a chance I shamelessly ogle your cute little tight butt." She had to admit, she really didn't realize Megamind's eyes were _that_ big.

With a guttural chuckle and an ee-ville glint in his eye, the space traveler informed his Earth girl, "You just set a precedent, my love." Quick as a wink the blue hands were molding to the ample curves of her rear, fingertips grazing the crease marking the juncture with her thigh. "Oh, my hands have been wanting to do this all night," he cooed happily.

Roxanne made a show of acting shocked for about two seconds, then smiled and agreed, "I guess that's only fair."

The two found themselves nose to nose before long, their eye contact communicating that they both were still vexed by the struggle with their urges. But both knew tonight would not be the night. Regardless, their lips found each other again and enjoyed a leisurely wrestling match. Some minutes later they parted in favor of increased air flow to their hungry lungs, resting their foreheads together and resuming the staring contest.

Megamind made a frustrated growl in the back of his throat and tried to tamp down the incessant nagging of his flesh. "It's so odd ... how I feel like two people when I'm with you. One a perfect gentleman who wants nothing more than to hold you and gaze in your eyes, take in your scent. The other ... a beast with dark designs. Why _is_ that?" He seemed truly confounded by the phenomenon.

Roxanne smiled and stroked his face. "I know exactly what you mean. It feels like being Jekyll and Hyde. It's one of the conundrums of being human. We have a primitive brain that rewards us for pursuing pleasure and a higher, more emotional brain layer that wants something more civilized than rutting like animals. A deeper spiritual connection, I guess. They seem to cancel each other out, leaving us at a stalemate." She sighed and dropped her eyes slightly, focusing on his goatee. "I know it doesn't make any sense for me to say I want you, but not yet ... but,"

She needn't have been concerned with seeming flighty. Her beau curtailed her nervous rambling with a shake of his head. "No, Roxanne, it makes perfect sense, now that I know we're in the same boat ... the S. S. Virgin. When I first met you in high school, I must have been mooning over you a lot, because one of my uncles sat me down for a talk about things of a sexual nature. He told me that males are usually chomping at the bit to lose their innocence, but sex is a different matter for women. By nature it's more invasive for them, so they want to trust who they open themselves up to that way. The first time especially, because she doesn't know what exactly to expect, and probably ... underestimates what her body is capable of taking. Apparently, unless she's relaxed and aroused, it would be a tight and possibly painful fit. But the unknown factor lends itself to nervousness, totally counterproductive. So he told me that if whoever was making me walk around daydreaming with that stupid grin on my face really meant something to me, I would have to have infinite patience with her and resign myself to the fact that she should be in charge of the when." He looked in her eyes seriously and said, "I officially cede that decision to you. I'm allowed to cajole, entice, seduce and otherwise attempt to convince you to make that decision quicker, but you still hold the reins. Give them slack and I'll run with it, but hitch them up tight and I'll whoa. Sound like a plan?"

The azure eyes he was so inspired by shone with love through his speech, relieved he grasped the issue so precisely. "Yes, I think we can work with that." She kissed him softly and sighed, "How did I get so lucky?"

Reiterating his assertion to Tony, he insisted, "I'm the lucky one here." His eyes brightened as a memory struck him. "I just remembered another song I should sing to you." He smiled at her eager expression and puffed his chest up with the breath drawn in to vocalize.

"I am the man who will fight for your honor, I'll be the hero you been dreamin' of.

We'll live forever, knowin' together that we did it all for the glory of love.

Just like a knight in shining armor from a long time ago,

just in time I will save the day, take you to my castle far away."

Roxanne had recognized the tune from Karate Kid 2 by the fourth word. She'd always loved it, but even more so now. She snuggled in closer and wrapped her arms about him, settling her head against his shoulder. "That was so romantic and sweet." A happy hum vibrated her vocal chords and she glanced at the fire, smaller now, soon would be little more than dying embers. "Let's pack up the rest of the picnic and head back to your castle," she suggested. "It'll be warmer."

_YES it IS too soon to suggest alternate methods of keeping warm! _ His brain demanded the body's silence for the night and set about doing as his lady proposed. _Stop grousing. One day you'll thank me. _

Stopping to regard her partner fondly the brunette asked, "Are you sure you don't mind waiting?" Worry crossed her face for a second ... swiftly doused with a warm reassuring smile from him.

"I look at it this way; a goddess has asked me to walk with her through the garden of Earthly delights ... I'm not about to quibble about how fast or slow we walk, or what path we take, I'm simply going to follow along and enjoy the view." His soulful eyes taking her in let her know she was all the view he needed, garden be damned.

Roxanne felt a goofy smile light her face and she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Oh, you are _so _making points, Megamind."

He wrapped her in his arms and shrugged lightly. "Points, schmoints ... I've already won."


	5. I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song

_OK, I'm sure most of you are going "You're still alive? You hadn't published anything in so long we figured you croaked." _

_Well let me assure you I'm writing and NOT from beyond the grave using a Ouija board. Just life keeps getting in the way. The poor health of a loved one ate up a lot of time and energy. Still does, but as long as I draw breath, I will work on keeping our fave couple alive in our hearts._

_I had considered splitting this and publishing the first 10 pages, but I just had this need to make the whole story 6 chapters. Yes there will be one more. That one is not for the kiddies though._

_As always, I entrusted the final polish of the story to my dear friend __**Hunger4Righteousness**__, and this time also enlisted __**SapphireGirl93**__. Since it is so long I figured it couldn't hurt to have more eyes checking it out. These ladies are so talented, and I'm so lucky they could make time to help me out. Both of them have wonderful stories celebrating the good 'ship MegaRox, including a challenge they both rose to for a Thanksgiving story. Both takes on the basis are spectacular, if you love the characters you should check them out. And be sure to tell them you appreciate their efforts, leave glowing reviews. They deserve it!_

_OK peeps … enjoy! And thank you all for reading!  
>Oh, and I don't own this stuff, Dreamworks does, yada yada yada.<em>

**THE JOURNEY TO US**

Chapter 5: I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song

Roxanne Ritchi felt as though she probably ought to be ashamed of herself for enjoying her free time lately with Megamind ... but just couldn't help it. Ever since their night on the beach they had settled into a thoroughly enjoyable interaction, an oddly familiar pattern of banter and control ... perceived and actual. During their years of kidnappings, despite the fact that he would knock her out, tie her up and point menacing weapons at her, she had clearly been in control ... at least emotionally. She may have been the one bound to a chair, but she had him wrapped around her little finger. That hadn't changed.

Now that the rules of escalation of intimacy had been set with her in charge, Megamind had come to recognize that trying to seduce Roxanne had him tapping into that old wicked side of himself, and he was indulging his inner villain exploring her boundaries.

Roxanne never admitted it in the old days, but his evil act had always set her a-flutter like they were flirting even then. Now she could luxuriate in those feelings without her conscience nagging her that good girls don't have the hots for super villains. _Hmmph ... if that's true, then who wants to be good? Not I. _She was currently writhing against the lean alien build that inspired her to consider throwing chastity to the wind. In the weeks they'd been forging ahead with the business of pleasure, her unique partner had become quite adept at learning how to play her body like a concert pianist.

Megamind had made learning all he could about the art of arousing Roxanne his pet project. He'd never been so fascinated with a subject. He set about exploring as much of her body as she and her clothing would allow. Most of the time she'd have already changed into pants after work, so his expeditions across her body were mostly above the waistline, except for fondling her butt when given half a chance.

With persistence he discovered that the loopholes to the barrier presented by cloth yielded some very sensitive spots. The lightest brush of fingertips in these places must be enough to weaken her resolve, he thought, for she would squirm away and block his hands, giggling ... which she did a lot of during their playtime. It was music to his ears. He found it equally entertaining to watch, and tried, really he did ... most of the time, not to think about what he could have done with this knowledge back when he had her restrained ... in that red number ... with exposed legs ...

Watching her reactions was not only fun, but his penchant for doing so taught him something about Roxanne: stopping made her want more. She would fidget and whine, and frequently she would proclaim him a tease to which he would often reply, "That's the point, isn't it?" and begin anew.

This night had him finding out about the sensitivity of pulse points. His lips succumbed to wanderlust and left a trail of kisses up the inside of her arm starting at her wrist, getting a yelp from her as the hyper-reactive nerve endings sent urgent messages to the brain, tales of stimulus overload. The crook of her elbow proved another patch of skin that surprised her with how responsive it was to the sensual attention. After attaining the summit of her shoulder his eager mouth caressed the flesh of her neck, garnering a frustrated groan from his love. She grasped his shoulders, pulling him tightly against her, and tilted her head to bare her throat more.

The blue lips found her carotid pulse and suckled softly, drawing forth a contented hum. When his lips and tongue began devouring her earlobe, her head swam and she gasped, "Oh, baby ..." Her right hand stroked over his neck and the back of his head, encouraging him to continue.

Megamind smiled as his teeth nibbled her earlobe gently. He had come to know that when she called him "baby," she was very excited and close to losing all control.

And she was indeed. She'd held out for weeks that felt like months, which she considered quite a feat given how skilled he was becoming at the art of seduction. _What are we waiting for again? _her inquiring mind wanted to know. Her body throbbed in Morse code that waiting hadn't been _its_ idea to begin with. Her legs begged to be allowed to wrap firmly around those slender hips and pull him into her promised land. Somewhere in the brain stem her grey matter found a drop of blood and used it to remind her that if they started down that road on the lair's couch they would no doubt end up giving poor Minion a free show that would leave him in a permanent state of blush.

Before the thought finished bouncing around her skull she heard and felt him murmur in her ear "We could go hide out in my bedroom 'til dinner is ready ..."

_Oh my gawd ... can he actually read my mind? No .. if he could, he'd have picked up on a few dozen times I was so turned on I wouldn't have stopped him if he'd been more persistent. _

It was actually more empathy than telepathy, he'd learned to read her body language and facial expressions rather well, but when it came to limits, he preferred to err on the side of caution. He had been exceptionally good about obeying her wishes, ceasing all physical stimulation when she bade him stop. She never said he couldn't try _talking _her into it at that point though, and he knew she loved his singing, so he'd taken to serenading her to keep things simmering.

The word "baby" sparked a memory of a Spin Doctors tune and he vocalized his desire with it.

"If you want to call me 'baby,' just go ahead now,  
>And if you would like to tell me 'maybe,' just go ahead now ..."<p>

_Ohhh, yeah, Blue ... push for it ... it's so exciting when he's in full seduction mode!_

_Mmmm, she liked that! Let's see ... _lyrics rumbled from deep in his chest,

"C'mon, baby, light my fire ..."

"Ha!" Her laughter was only partially due to his tongue tickling her ear. "You haven't used THAT yet ... THIS week!"

He pondered new strategy as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth and ran his tongue over the piercing hole. _Maybe a little Steve Miller ... _

"Every time you call my name, I heat up like a burning flame,  
>Burning flame, full of desire, kiss me baby, let the fire get higher!"<p>

Despite the fervent protest mounted by her body (stemming from her growing desire to _be_ mounted), she sighed and began to extricate herself from his embrace. "AUughhh! My body is going to hate me for this but ... whoa, Space Cowboy."

With only a slight groan of disappointment, his lithe body moved from her side and the taut muscles uncoiled as he attempted to relax. The use of one of her favorite nicknames for him triggered a memory of another line in the same song that he'd been dying to use. Through his sexiest smirk, in his silkiest voice he sang to her ...

"You're the cutest thing that I ever did see  
>Really love your peaches wanna shake your tree..."<p>

This was accompanied by a shimmy of his shoulders by way of example. Roxanne tried very hard to give him a stern look ... but crumbled as he continued.

"Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey all the time,  
>Oooee baby, I'll sure show you a good time."<p>

Both dissolved into snickers and then sighed and locked eyes again.

Taking another stab at rekindling things, he sang softly, sweetly ...

"C'mon, angel, my heart's on fire,  
>Don't deny your man's desire ..."<p>

Roxanne's mind did a quick calculation of where the lyrics were going and silenced him with a kiss. This happened on occasion, and was by far his favorite way to be told to shut up.

She pulled back too soon by his watch, but he was riding high on the victory of an extra kiss, so he wasn't complaining.

"You ..." Roxanne breathed "... are WAY too good at this."

The sassy smirk was back. "I think I'm getting better," he allowed, "but still, you resist." The e-vil banter made another appearance.

He knew what he was doing. She felt challenged now. "Yeah, well ... it ain't easy." She leered at him, deciding to give him a taste of what he was dishing out. She leaned close enough to kiss him but sang instead ...

"I don't want anybody else,  
>When I think about you I touch myself."<p>

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Woman ... you're killing me here," he growled and arched an eyebrow.

Roxanne giggled and followed with a soothing tone, "Oh, I'm sorry sweetie ... I guess that wasn't very fair of me, was it?"

He put on his best pout and said, "No, it wasn't ... now you have to kiss it and make it feel better." The pouting lip trembled pathetically.

_Smarty pants! This is all you get for that. _She bestowed a kiss upon his nose.

The emerald eyes shone with love for his Earth girl and he was moved to sing to her out of pure affection rather than lust.

"Only you can make this change in me, for it's true, you are my destiny  
>When you hold my hand, I understand the magic that you do<br>You're my dream come true, my one and only you."

Roxanne nearly wept with joy over this heartfelt sentiment. She blushed a bit and said "That's so sweet! But didn't Minion say he lip read your father's words to you as 'destined for greatness'?"

Megamind smiled sincerely at her and told her in all earnestness, "Roxanne ... your love is the greatest thing that will EVER happen in my life!"

Roxanne responded by draping herself on him like a fur stole and kissing him leisurely.

Megamind filed away the information that romantic notions could re-stir passion as surely as sexual stimulation.

Both heard at the same time the footsteps of their little friend's big robotic body. Reluctantly they straightened up and looked to see Minion approaching with dinner.

"I heard some of the singing going on out here, you're both very good!" the chipper fish appraised their vocal exercises. He doled out plates and sat down as Megamind and Roxanne muttered thank-yous and traded mischievous glances and smirks.

Then what Minion had said fully registered with Roxanne. _Both? Oh, geez ... he heard that? _ She began blushing furiously as she realized she had only warbled out the one tune that night.

_Heavens above, she's adorable when she blushes! _Megamind admired her flushed features in his peripheral vision. _No wonder she's always going on about me doing it._

Minion had heard most of their singing, and concluded he would never understand humanoids' mating habits. He'd observed many mammals' rituals for convincing a mate to choose them over other candidates, on Animal Planet and other nature shows. These ranged from displays of desirable physical features and contests of strength and other prowess to gifts given in hopes of outshining the generosity of the competition, even dancing and yes, vocal performance. And an awful lot of the mutual oral grooming that his friends spent endless hours engaging in. But humanoids seemed to be the only ones who played the waiting game. He couldn't grasp the purpose of that part. _Maybe it has something to do with that "tantric" hoopla Sting is always hyping ... _

The wily fish had an ulterior motive to his complimentary demeanor tonight. A couple weeks previously, he had gone to Perkatory for coffee and encountered Roxanne's camera op Sam trying to convince the owner to set aside at least one night a week for Karaoke. The idea immediately appealed to Minion, who often sang along with the radio when going about his chores. He had added his support to the campaign, promising Tony he would work on getting Megamind involved which, he contended, would surely make the weekly event popular. Sam was confident she could talk Roxanne into it as well, sweetening the deal. Half the city would crowd the streets for blocks around to hear the two of them singing, she asserted. Tony finally shrugged and put up his hands, knowing he was beat. He had finally gotten the equipment in and the first time was set for the following night. Even though they usually tried to be quiet about it, Minion heard their melodic flirting on several occasions, and surmised they might be coaxed into taking their act public at least once.

"Miss Ritchi, have you ever attended a Karaoke night?" Minion decided to work on her first, she was far less suspicious of new questions than his blue brother from another mother.

"Car-ah-oaky? What on Earth is that?" Megamind interjected before Roxanne could speak.

Minion rolled his eyes but explained patiently, "Karaoke, Sir. It's a Japanese word meaning 'empty orchestra.' It's sort of like that 'Don't Forget the Lyrics' game show we used to watch, music plays and a screen displays the lyrics for us to sing. It seems like a lot of fun, and Tony is starting a Karaoke night at Perkatory tomorrow! What do you say we all go down there and check it out? Maybe even join in?" He flashed his brightest, most charming anticipatory smile, hoping to make his enthusiasm contagious.

Megamind wasn't buying it. He wanted to spend every free moment wallowing in carnal delights with his Roxanne. But then he caught her dazzling blue orbs gazing at him, their gentle kindness diffusing his selfishness.

The soft pink lips he loved so hovered near his ear, causing a shiver of delight to romp down his spine, and suggested, "Why not? Poor Minion must be getting pretty bored and lonely with his best friend ignoring him all the time."

Megamind just kept falling deeper for this wonderful woman who had a heart as big as the universe. She treated Minion like family. He smiled broadly and nuzzled her ear to whisper, "Of course, darling, you're right. We _have_ been neglecting our Piscean partner." He turned to his fishy friend and promised, "All right, Minion, you win, we'll go entertain Tony with our pipes." This earned him a quick peck on the cheek from the tenderhearted reporter.

Minion could hardly contain his excitement. "Ooooh, this is gonna be so much fun!" He emitted a decidedly girly squeal and hugged Megamind and Roxanne against his metal chest, nearly ejecting their food consumed up to that point. Then a light bulb lit in his mind and he wondered aloud, "Say, should we invite Mr. Scott too? I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it ..."

The looks directed at the aquatic alien bespoke the collective horror of music lovers everywhere.

"Are you out of your ever-lovin' mind?" Roxanne asked.

"Ohhhhh, no, no, NO!" Megamind insisted emphatically. "If that buffoon shows his face there, I will be forced to review his caterwauling!" He plugged his ears with two fingers and continued to the same tune Music Mangler had assaulted their senses with when they found him hiding out in his fortress of mediocrity, "I have ears, that can bleed, at the sound of your voice!"

Roxanne nearly choked on the Chicken Marsala as she struggled to laugh without spitting it everywhere.

Minion decided to pick his battles for now. "OK, OK, just us then," he conceded. His jagged grin widened as his enthusiasm for the planned activity boiled over. He was glad that his two friends were so happy together, but it had been rather lonely compared to the days when he and Megamind were all each other had. He was touched that Roxanne had spoken up in support of his idea. Her influence seemed to be just the thing to give his best friend a more mellow edge. To say the least she had a way of making him more agreeable. She held the key to his softer side.

After the last of their meals had been scraped from their plates and Minion balanced the whole stack off to the kitchen sink, the couple settled back into hushed conversation, snuggling with their foreheads pressed together. One or the other would occasionally steal a kiss, and their hands meandered over their bodies in gentle caresses. Eventually they were so content occupying their small shared personal space Roxanne realized she could fall asleep happily in his arms if she just let herself relax, and took that as a cue to head home.

"Sweetie, I better get home and get some rest or I'll be beat tomorrow," her tone was reluctant and her paramour took a final half-hearted stab at directing the evening toward his boudoir.

"Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir ?" his voice rumbled melodically low and his eyebrows bid her come hither.

Roxanne was torn between throaty giggles and appreciation of the effort. _Oh, wow ... that voice just does things to me ... _She shot him a look of indulgent exasperation and told him "Congratulations, you've just resurrected the biggest pick-up line of the 1970s." She let her thumb play with his precisely groomed goatee and added, "You sing it beautifully though."

He could tell by the look in her eyes that he had stirred something, however briefly. This pleased him. "Thank you darling." He stood and helped her up, pulling her against him immediately for a last bit of full frontal friction. Roxanne didn't even fight it, nuzzling her nose against the landing strip on his chin and trialing light kisses up it to plant a warm wet one right on those smooth-as-silk lips she could not get enough of. When finally they broke the liplock he purred, "All right ... if you _must_ go, I'll escort you home."

Roxanne fairly sparkled with barely contained glee. "Can we take the jet cycle?" She gave him her best temptress eyes as a pretty please.

Megamind chuckled. "Yes, I know how much you love it. It's all fueled up and ready to go."

It was Roxanne's turn to purr. "Mmm-my sweet baby Blue. You're so good to me." She saw a curious glimmer in his eyes and a shy smile form on his lips. She cocked her head and whispered, "What?"

He shrugged and explained, "When I was a boy in prison, my uncles and the warden used to call me 'Blue,'" his eyelids fell to half-mast and he added, "sounds much sweeter coming from _you_ though."

Roxanne's eyelids relaxed in kind and her smile warmed the alien's heart. "I like it. It can be my pet name for you ... in private." They shared an Eskimo kiss and walked hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm to the shiny machine that gave Roxanne a perfect excuse to wrap herself tightly around her boyfriend's torso, plant her nose in his warm neck that smelled _ohhh_ so good, and try to pretend the vibrations beneath them _weren't_ making her want to chew on his neck like a Rottweiler on a Milk Bone.

Megamind was more than agreeable to her clinging to him like a koala in heat ... all the more chance that she might be inclined to drag him in with her when they arrived at her place. Besides, some of the noises she made near his ear told him his "gnarly Harley" was working magic on her. She didn't even seem to notice or care that he always took the long way back to her apartment.

When they touched down on the balcony, Roxanne almost didn't want to move. But she decided it was worth letting him go to get another full body embrace and some kisses to tide her over. Megamind was happy to oblige. The two wrapped around each other and slowly shuffled toward the balcony doors as they all but devoured each other's mouths.

Roxanne felt the blood coursing through her veins increase in tempo, spurring her on. Rational thought dissolved as his tongue teased the roof of her mouth. _I can't stand it anymore!_ She growled in his mouth and dug her nails into his back and buttocks, and ground her groin against his, then nipped and sucked his lip.

Her hero felt the urgency of her movements and began to think maybe this was it, the time she would finally consent to share her love with him. He frantically groped her rear, pulling her hard against his obvious arousal. "Ohh, Roxaaane!" he moaned as he slurped her neck noisily. He moved forward a step, pushing her back to the bricks surrounding the glass doors after sliding a hand up behind her head to ensure it wouldn't smack against the hard surface, a growl of his own sounding in his throat. He pressed her body firmly between his own and the wall.

Something about the slightly aggressive nature of this move and being trapped, shoved a bit brusquely and pinned as she was, made her tense up. There was a moment of unease, a pre-flight stance rather than a surrender or equally predatory one. It was just a second, but he felt it. His grip released and he pulled back to search her eyes. A gentle nose nuzzle in conjunction with an understanding smile let her know he wasn't upset. "You're not ready," he observed.

She could feel relief and frustration mix in a fairly unsatisfying way. "I _want _to be!" she huffed.

A nearly silent chuckle shook through him, then turned to low sweet notes.

"You are my fire, the one desire  
>Believe when I say that I want it that way."<p>

He could feel her melt into him as he sang. "I want that too, Roxanne. But more than that. I want to see you in the throes of ecstasy, to witness your passion reach its peak and know I _guided _you there, not _pushed _you. Without that part of the experience, my dear, it's simply not worth it. I want to make love with you for the rest of our lives, and that requires that we trust each other completely and have no regrets. When you're ready, you'll know ... and then you can clue me in too."

The sincerity of his emotion filled her heart. She hugged him hard and rubbed her nose against his cheek. "I love you _so_ much," she told him, her voice trying to accent the depth of her feelings.

His embrace tightened likewise. "I love you too," he reassured her, "but tonight, I'll content myself with another ... 'undressed rehearsal'," He smirked at his own naughty pun.

Roxanne flashed a wicked grin. "Yeah, well ... I wasn't singing that song in the lair tonight _just_ to watch you come all unglued." She checked his reaction to see him biting his lip.

"You really do that?" As he watched her expression lean toward incredulous, he clarified clumsily, "Think of me, then, I mean ..."

She chose to answer lyrically.

"Constantly, boy you played through my mind like a symphony  
>There's no way to describe what you do to me<br>You just do to me, what you do  
>And it feels like I've been rescued<br>I've been set free  
>I am hypnotized by your destiny<br>You are magical, lyrical, beautiful  
>You are... And I want you to know baby ..."<p>

Roxanne softly cooed the beginning of the chorus in his ear.

"I, I love you like a love song, baby."

Megamind pressed a kiss to the soft cheek next to his and answered in kind.

"Lady ... I'm your knight in shining armor and I love you  
>You have made me what I am and I am yours."<p>

Roxanne cradled the angular blue face she adored in her hands and added more emotion to the cauldron they'd started brewing.

"Slowly now, we begin to move  
>Every breath I'm deeper into you<br>Soon we two are standing still in time  
>If you read my mind, you'll see<br>I'm crazy for you  
>Touch me once and you'll know it's true<br>I never wanted anyone like this  
>It's all brand new, you'll feel it in my kiss<br>I'm crazy for you."

Four lips met in a sweet kiss, then Megamind told his lady, "We should save some songs for tomorrow night."

Roxanne grinned and said, "Yeah, we'll make beautiful music together." She finally stepped away to the doors and sighed "Good night, Blue ... see you tomorrow."

He leered at her playfully and said, "Good night ... see you as soon as I close my eyes!"

"Oh, you!" she giggled as he bounded back to his cycle and hopped aboard, waving as she disappeared into her apartment. She looked back to watch him roar off into the night, part of her regretting the loss of his physical presence. Not for the first time, Roxanne soon found herself infinitely thankful to whoever invented the shower massage.

_Auuugh! What was WRONG with me? Oooh, a boy wants to give me Cooties! What am I, 12? _Roxanne berated herself mentally as she sat in the KMCP news van, staring out the passenger window with her face propped on her palm. She'd been antsy and absent mentally most of the day. The highlight of her day had been an interview at a retirement home. She could hardly wait to talk to Megamind so she could tell him about it. Cards on the table, she just wanted to be with him again, regardless of the topic of conversation. Talking wasn't really what she had in mind anyway. She'd come to believe that she'd be a little nervous her first time no matter how long she waited, and should just do it already, get past the awkward part. She just knew she was tired of indulging her desire in secret, alone. The next time she gasped his name as her passion overflowed, she wanted him to be there to hear it.

Sam swearing a blue streak rattled Roxanne from her reverie, as the van jerked to the right, fortunately occupying part of the shoulder and not another lane. "That sonofabitch nearly ran us off the road!" The irate blond rolled down the window and took a penny from the change receptacle in the center console. "Here's a down payment on tuition for driving school, jackass!" She flicked her fingers and the penny shot from them and set to work removing a chip from the offending motorist's perfect paint job.

Roxanne sniggled at the comical display of road rage. Sam seemed to just be noticing she wasn't alone, and rolled her window back up with a grin. "Hey, welcome back to planet Earth! Someone's mind has _not_ been on her work today. Any ideas what you might sing tonight?"

Roxanne's mouth quirked up in a smirk. It hadn't escaped her notice that her sidekick had been over the moon about opening night of Perkatory's Karaoke festivities. "Well, I want to pick something that will tell Megamind, and the whole city, just how special he is to me."

"Ooooh, romantic performances are the best!" Sam gushed, "I can't wait to see his face! He'll probably look like a Tex Avery cartoon!"

Roxanne's lips framed her teeth in a wicked grin at the thought of affecting her man that way. She _did_ love to tease him, getting him all riled up made her feel powerful and sexy. Clearly he enjoyed being manipulated by her sensuality as well, and relished the power he had over her in kind.

When Sam glanced at her passenger she saw a distracted grin and a faraway look, then heard a mumbled "I wonder what _he'll_ be singing tonight ..." Unseen by the driver, Roxanne's face began to flush as she revisited a few moments from the previous night. Abruptly the reporter shook the pleasant diversions from her mind. _Get a grip, Roxanne! Save it for later. _

"Don't worry about your performance... just get there a little early and you can peruse the song book, get some ideas." Sam suggested.

"Oh, yeah, that's a good idea, thanks." Roxanne was a little surprised she hadn't thought of that. Constantly having a blue imp running through her mind was seriously distracting her from rational thought.

"Want me to drop you home to get ready?" Sam's question snapped her out of her daydreams once again. "Since you don't know for sure what you're gonna sing, I would say dress plain, so you don't look out of place no matter what musical genre you pick."

Puzzled, Roxanne asked, "You mean people dress up for this? In like, costumes to match their songs, like they're shooting a music video?"

"Some do, sure." Sam confirmed. "I saw a guy show up once in a full-blown Samurai outfit to do 'Turning Japanese.' It was a hoot! That is, 'til he hacked the mic cord in two with his Katana. Ho ho, was the club owner _pissed!"_

The visual Sam's story evoked had Roxanne in the midst of a giggle fit. "OK, no weapons, got it ... I guess that means I can't bring a bow & arrow and do 'Cupid.'" she quipped sarcastically.

A hearty laugh was Roxanne's reward. "Not unless we want this to be the _closing_ night too!"

Megamind had spent the day going through his music collection looking for the perfect song to charm his love. It wasn't until he had gotten to the vinyl LPs that he found one that struck him as nearly perfect. Now he was diligently pawing through his wardrobe for clothing, a particular article in mind. He'd worn it years ago, one Halloween. He reflected how that used to be the one night he could go out and mingle with the masses without hearing people scream like they'd just seen Godzilla. Now it would be a component in presentation for a much more public and important night, a romantic gesture he hoped would stand out in Roxanne's mind and heart for life. He smiled as he held up the garment for inspection, finding it shipshape. He set about grooming and dressing to impress.

The brainbots' bowging alerted the alien genius, he perked up at the sound as he smoothed his eyebrows and goatee in the mirror. He knew they only carried on that way for Daddy's girlfriend.

Roxanne giggled and ran her hands over the glass domes of her boyfriend's pets as they jostled each other aside to be the ones receiving her approval. "Now, now, behave, boys! You'll all get yours." Pinky wasn't so desperate for her attention, but then she _was_ the one assigned to be the reporter's personal bot, an assistant and security as well. It was a position of prestige coveted among the entire pack. Roxanne knew she couldn't be safer if she had one of Siegfried & Roy's tigers sleeping at the foot of her bed.

"Hell-low, gorgeous."

When Roxanne turned toward the sound of the voice that stoked her furnace, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Megamind's fit and trim form was showcased enticingly in a pair of tight black leather pants, cupping his glutes but not compressing them, and a billowy-sleeved cream-colored poet shirt, cut low so his pecs were just too temping to resist. Drawn to him, she reached out and ran a hand over his chest and let out a low wolf whistle.

Amused, he told her "I could say the same thing about you." He was appreciating her curvacious figure in the black jeans she _knew _he loved, and the little white blouse that displayed his favorite pillows, topped with a blue vest. A shock of pleasure shot through him like one of his trademark lightning bolts as her middle fingertip strayed inside the edge of his plunging neckline and brushed over a nipple which stood at attention. _Ohhhh yess, if I'd known it would make her touch me like this I would have dug this out weeks ago!_

_Mnnff! So soft ... _The act of reining in her libido felt like reeling in a hundred pound sailfish. One look in his eyes told her he was struggling to land his and was equally frustrated. Both smiled to realize they were in the same boat - again.

"Gawd, I missed you last night, Blue ... " Roxanne mumbled, stopping short of saying she wished she hadn't let him go. It was pretty much implied by her tone.

His arms stole around her, pulling her denim to his leather. "Not as much as I missed YOU." The gruff growl was suddenly muffled in her neck, making her laugh and smack his butt to discourage the attack without disdain. After making contact she looked impressed and said, "Wow, you could bounce a quarter off that, huh?" The other side of her neck paid the price for that observation.

"You're quite fetching tonight," he complimented her. She had rounded out her outfit with a pair of short black, medium-heeled, pointy-toed boots that gave her that chewing gum walk … very wriggly.

She beamed at his words. "Thanks, Blue. You look positively dashing."

_Yes! Just the mood I was going for._ He bowed in a courtly fashion and proclaimed, "Your praise feeds my soul like air feeds my lungs!"

Roxanne bit back a giggle; she didn't want to discourage him, after all. "Have I told you lately how much I LOVE your sense of presentation?"

"Not in _HOURS_!" he wailed mournfully.

The giggle wouldn't stay down this time. "You've been taking lessons from Minion."

"Ritchi, _PLEASE._ Where do you think _I_ learned it from?"

Roxanne and Megamind stared agape at the fish who had just piloted his robotic home and transport to join his companions and now resembled a very large deer in headlights. "Oh no ... too familiar, isn't it? You wanted me to call you something less formal ... that's why it's just easier to stick with ..." His words trailed off as his friends dissolved into hysterics. He shook his body side to side in his dome and sighed, heading back to the kitchen.

As the two surrendered to disabling laughter, Roxanne remembered something she'd been waiting to tell her hero. Her face lit with a broad grin. "Oh, sweetheart! I got to do a great interview today."

"Really, with who?" he asked, honestly curious. There was a look in her eye she didn't usually get when talking about her work.

"Well, it was one of those 'human interest' pieces about a lady who just turned 100 at the retirement home over on Maple. As soon as she saw it was me doing the interview, she had something very interesting to tell us. She used to be very depressed about getting old, but a kind gesture from an unlikely source renewed her faith in mankind."

Megamind was intrigued. "Don't be so coy, darling, what gesture flipped her attitude so?" He saw her smile shining back at him.

"Right after you took over the city, she happened to be awake early one morning and sitting on the porch watching the hummingbirds sipping nectar. She told me how she heard a car screech to a halt out front, but didn't see anything. Thought she was losing it or something. Then she saw you jump out of nowhere holding a big box, run over to the fence and set the box down inside it. You started to turn away but a puppy popped up from inside the box and started tugging on your cape collar. She was so charmed to see you smile and wag your finger at it playfully, being so gentle in getting it to let go. She watched you sprint back to the car and disappear inside, and then went to see the puppies and kittens in the box. She said it made her reflect on how not everything is as it seems. She also said those pets have done wonders for the morale around there. She has no idea how you knew just what they needed."

Megamind had a small peculiar shy smirk upon hearing her story. "Well, actually, I figured the pets and the people kind of needed each other. The pet store in the district that was abandoned really made me mad, they just left the poor things in those cages! They needed care. We could have done it but I didn't know how the brainbots would take such cute competition. And I know animals can be very good for depression, they're very nurturing and empathetic, and they don't judge anyone by looks or their past, they just want to be loved. If you have a good heart they'll stand by you 'til the bitter end." His demeanor turned to annoyance. "And those poor people, it's appalling how many of them actually have children who dump them there instead of taking care of them at home. I used to think only people with no other options lived there." Annoyance then faded. "It's very gratifying to know I made the right decision, and the animals and seniors meshed so well."

Roxanne wrapped him in a warm hug and told him, "That's from Mrs. Willoughby. This too." She planted a kiss on his cheek. He thought to himself that he couldn't have received better acknowledgment. "And _this_," her tone now low and hushed, "is from _me."_ She slid her hands up along his face and kissed him slowly and with every bit of emotion poured into it that she could muster to show her love and admiration for him. The only thought he could cobble together was, _I was wrong … it DOES get better._

"All right, you two," Minion sighed, returning to the room with 2 small bottles in one hand, "if we don't get going we're going to be late. I want to check out the song book before it gets too crowded. Here." He handed each of them a bottle of Ensure supplement drink, butter pecan flavor.

"_This_ is all we get for dinner?" Megamind groused, scowling at the meager offering.

"Well, I'm sorry, Sir," Minion explained, "I thought you'd rather wait to have a full meal until later, not get sluggish on stage. They have a nice selection of pastries at Perkatory, if you really want something solid."

Megamind recalled the cake poppers and licked his lips, savoring the memory. "That's true, I suppose that will be enough to stave off starvation."

"Good idea, Minion," Roxanne praised him, earning a warm smile and a waggle of his tail. "Afterward we can go anywhere you boys like for dinner, my treat."

The two aliens looked at her excitedly. "Benihana?" they chorused.

Roxanne giggled. "Sure, that'll be fun!" She could see it now, the chef using his utensils to toss shrimp up over Minion and him leaping up out of the water momentarily to snap his teeth on it, then diving back down gracefully. Everything was more fun with these two.

When they arrived at the coffee house, Tony and Sam were standing on a small stage in a corner, in a lively discussion about the lighting and sound. Tony was attaching colored gels to some of the lights for different moods. Sam looked up from adjusting the microphone stand and abandoned technical matters to greet her co-worker and her little troop. "Hey! There's the stars of our show! C'mere, you guys, I saved you the best table in the house, right down front! In case, ya know, any of you want to gaze into someone's eyes as you sing." She elbowed Roxanne gently. "Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge, say-no-more, say-no-more!" Megamind and Minion shot each other a look, wondering what the spunky journalist had up her sleeve.

Sam stepped away momentarily as Megamind held a chair for Roxanne to sit, winning him a loving smile for the the gentlemanly gesture. Sam returned with a huge notebook about four inches thick, and plunked it down on the table. "Here's the song book, arranged by title. There's an index in the back by artist if you're not sure of a title." Megamind and Minion both gestured to Roxanne that she should examine the book first.

"You already know what you're going to sing?" Roxanne asked. Both her escorts nodded. "Gee, bringin' up the rear here ..." she mumbled as she leafed through the book, seeing lots of good songs that were fun to sing, but none really lit her heart.

Sam returned with a clipboard complete with a pen attached by a coiled cord. "Here's the sign-up sheet," she instructed, "each song in the book has a 6-digit number next to it that you put next to your name. That way, your song is a surprise to others." She winked at Roxanne, who grinned gleefully.

Minion chimed in with a slightly worried expression. "What if the song we have in mind isn't in there?"

"With umpteen thousand songs compiled? Not likely." Sam replied. "If it's ever been played on the radio, it should be included." This news relaxed Minion but furrowed his ward's brow.

_Great, biggest brain on the planet and it didn't occur to me to check this out last night? _Megamind cursed himself internally.

Roxanne sighed. "You know, you'll have to make sure your choices are in here, and get the numbers for the sheet, why don't you do that while I go get some coffee for us, a little caffeine boost should help my brain cells fire faster. Why don't you sign up first, Minion?" she suggested. "Since it was your idea."

"Thank you, Miss Ritchi! I'd love to." The fish flipped to the B section and within moments bared his pointy smile and picked up the clipboard, but his metal hand hovered over the page when he noticed it was totally empty. He looked to Sam and asked, "What about you, though? It was really your idea to begin with, aren't you going first?"

"Nope!" she answered, grinning. "You three are the main attraction." As if to illustrate her point, two passersby stopped in their tracks in the open doorway of the establishment, staring at the group, then pointing to the sign in the window which read "KARAOKE~TONIGHT! 8PM" and muttering to each other. Each pulled out a cell phone and informed friends, using all three names of Metro City's most famous citizens. Sam darted over to Tony, making sure he saw the patrons-to-be and clapping him on the back saying, "SEE? I told you!" Others like them began filtering in after a few minutes.

Next Minion offered the book to Megamind, but he deferred to Roxanne who had returned with their drinks and had a determined look about her. She'd been worried she wouldn't be able to find a good song, until she saw how those people had made a show of discussing their presence. Inspiration struck her like a pie in the face and she had no doubt that the song would be available and would be a big hit with the crowd … and her blue man. She thumbed to the S tab and soon found what she'd been looking for. She caught Sam's eye and when the blond joined them, Roxanne pointed to the song to see what her sidekick would think. The camera op practically danced with delight. "Omigawd! That's SO PERFECT!" she squealed. The two women giggled as Roxanne recorded her choice. She then closed the weighty notebook and slid it over to her boyfriend who sat waiting patiently with a wily smile.

"Hopefully mine will be just as perfect … provided it's listed." With a serious countenance, Megamind turned the pages in the P section until his face brightened, signaling Lady Luck's blessing. He jotted his number on the sheet and made a mental note of Roxanne's entry, wondering if he could use his speed-reading skills to find the number in the S section, so he could see what tune had inspired such jocularity in his sweetheart and her co-worker.

Just as he'd begun the turn to that alphabetical designation, small manicured hands snapped the book shut and yanked it away. "Nice try, genius," she smirked as she handed the book back to Sam, who took it back to the table by the stage where the control panel for the equipment sat, for other participants to look through. "You'll just have to wait like everyone else to hear what I'm going to sing."

"Curses … foiled again!" he growled playfully, fingers tented evilly. "You DO so love to tease me."

Roxanne crinkled her nose as her smirk widened. She walked her fingers across the tabletop to his hand, much to his amusement, then slid her fingers over his to curl them around his hand. She leaned toward him a bit and purred, "You love it and you know it."

"Guilty as charged," the blue crusader sighed, grasping her delicate fingers in his long digits. The two locked eyes and slipped off into a world of their own for a while. Minion and Sam beheld the phase-out and eyed each other. Minion waved his hand up and down in front of his dome with blank eyes and mouthed "Nobody home." Sam cackled as she returned to the stage area.

As Roxanne looked through the green windows to her boyfriend's soul, her mind wandered through contemplation of what he had in store for her tonight. _That outfit … maybe he's going for the Jim Morrison look. So which song would he pick? "Light My Fire?" "Love Her Madly?" "Hello, I Love You?"_ Finally she conceded that her curiosity would be satisfied soon enough and returned to simply communing with the smoldering spheres of green.

Over the next hour the place filled to capacity, and Tony found himself busier than a spot counter at a Dalmatian show. He called one of his baristas to come in for an extra shift. He was glad he'd taken a chance and did some extra baking too, Megamind was doing a fair job of decimating the Devil's Food cake poppers all by himself.

Sam was running the sign-up table with a giant "toldja so" grin plastered across her face. Almost half of the crowd wasn't even signing up to sing themselves, they were there to see the show.

When 8 O'clock rolled around Sam took the mic and addressed the attendees, many of whom had been buzzing around the table of honor taking pictures with the hero's party and trying to get them to reveal what they were going to sing, but they refused to spoil the mystery.

"OK Metronians, are you ready to make some noise?" A resounding affirmative spilled from the audience, which now included a small group of smokers gathered outside near the door, left open to allow the music to double as advertisement. "Right ON! Let's kick things off with everyone's favorite fish, Minion!"

Wild cheering encouraged the unique swimmer as he lumbered up on stage, fins a-flutter with excitement. He adjusted the mic stand to a proper height for the suit's speaker that broadcasts his underwater vocalizations and said "Thank you!" As Sam punched in the number corresponding to his song he added, "I'd like to dedicate this to my B.F.F." and flashed a kindly smile at Megamind, who returned it, his eyes displaying admiration for his loyal companion.

Everyone in the room recognized the song by the fourth note of the intro, an emotional favorite crooned originally by a young Micheal Jackson. Sentimental members of the audience were heard to remark "Awwww."

"Ben, the two of us need look no more  
>We both found what we were looking for<br>With a friend to call my own, I'll never be alone  
>And you, my friend, will see, you've got a friend in me"<p>

Roxanne glanced at her partner and saw his eyes misted over. She couldn't have known the connection the aliens had to this song, but guessed at it as the lyrics continued.

"Ben, you're always running here and there  
>You feel you're not wanted anywhere<br>If you ever look behind, and don't like what you find  
>There's something you should know, you've got a place to go<br>I used to say I and me, now it's us, now it's we."

The hammy little ichthyoid poured all the schmaltz he could into the last verse.

"Ben, most people would turn you away  
>I won't listen to a word they say<br>They don't see you as I do, I wish they would try to  
>I'm sure they'd think again, if they had a friend like Ben<br>Like Ben … a friend … like Ben."

Applause reverberated off the walls of the small venue, none more enthusiastic than Megamind's, as he popped to his feet in a standing ovation of his oldest friend's effort. As Minion situated his bulk back in his seat, Megamind faced him and patted a hand on one furry shoulder and caressed the glass wall of Minion's home with the other. "You _always _know what to sing," he joshed. Then, seeing a curiosity burning in his love's eyes, he revealed, "When I was quite young, attending that little red sh-chool house, the movie that song came from was on T.V. It was technically a sequel to the movie "Willard," but entirely centered on the rat that had been the bad guy in the previous film. This was lighter in nature though, Ben became friends with a small boy enduring bullying just like I was. It really hit home." His eyes searched hers and found warm understanding.

"That was so sweet, Minion," Roxanne punched the other furry shoulder playfully.

"Oh, stop ..." the fish chuckled, "you're making me blush."

Roxanne noticed Sam waving a hand toward her, signaling it was her turn to take the stage. A small nervous part of her psyche wondered what she'd gotten herself into, but her fun-loving side reminded her of the sport she was about to have toying with the ex-overlord in public. She flashed him a mischievous grin as she got up that made his brain tingle and left him gaping after her in awe. He had no clue how she could garner his rapt attention so thoroughly with a glance and he didn't really care how. He just liked it and left it at that.

He decided to forgive himself for the way his gaze traveled down her body and his analytical mind was appraising her gait, doing calculations like a purveyor of sports medicine, contemplating the mesmerizing capabilities of that wiggle. He reasoned that if she didn't want him staring at her butt, she wouldn't wear _those_ jeans. He decided that was only _vaguely_ evil and, considering that he had once been the baddest man in the whole damn town, this miniscule transgression could be overlooked.

Every step Roxanne took stoked her confidence and as she took the stage and adjusted the mic stand, she was so giddy she had butterflies in her stomach. BIG butterflies. On steroids. Playing basketball.

Sam's grin was so wide it threatened to peel her face off of her skull completely. She started the song and sat back to watch the show, swigging a Long Island iced tea but never taking her eyes off the star-crossed couple.

A country tune as saucy as the lady about to vocalize with it began to play and her body language became an outright strut. Her bright blue eyes locked on target with a pair of green ones, a stare of such intensity it could bore a hole right through to her heart. She smiled lovingly and sang directly to him.

"People are talkin', talkin' 'bout people  
>I hear them whisper, you won't believe it"<p>

Most of the crowd recognized the song already and had begun low murmuring "oooh"s and poorly stifled giggles. Evidently the two aliens had not previously been exposed to it, their eyes followed her and they hung on her every word.

"They think we're lovers, kept under cover  
>I'll just ignore it"<p>

Megamind's goateed chin fell at least two inches as the words played through his ears. His eyes widened as his shapely companion freed the mic from its stand, stepped off the stage and began to walk his way.

"But they keep saying we  
>Laugh just a little too loud"<p>

She reached out and ran a finger along the rim of one fucshia-tinged blue ear, making it flush even more and causing a brief giggle to catch in his throat, then sidled in as close as she could get and still be looking him in the eye.

"We stand just a little too close  
>We stare just a little too long<br>Maybe they're seein' something we don't darlin'"

As the chorus approached she repositioned herself and suddenly sat perched on his lap, her free arm draped around his shoulders and her legs crossed provocatively.

"Let's give 'em something to talk about"

The audience erupted in cheers and cat-calls. Minion was snickering compulsively.

"Let's give 'em something to talk about"

Megamind bit his lip and grinned at her salaciously.

"Let's give 'em something to talk about  
>How about love?"<p>

This suggestion was met with applause from the patrons and a sweet lovesick expression from her hero.

"I feel so foolish, I never noticed  
>You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?"<p>

He couldn't help but laugh at how perfect the lyrics were.

"It took a rumor, to make me wonder  
>Now I'm convinced that I'm going under"<p>

She leaned back, his arms supporting her torso, his body naturally leaning forward to stay close. It was her turn to display the lovesick gaze.

"Thinkin' 'bout you every day  
>Dreamin' 'bout you every night"<p>

He saw in her eyes that she wasn't just whistling Dixie about her preoccupation, and she saw in his that the next line would be answered with a big DUH.

"I'm hopin' that you feel the same way  
>Now that we know it, let's really show it, darlin'<br>Let's give 'em something to talk about  
>A little mystery to figure out<br>Let's give 'em something to talk about  
>How about love, love, love?"<p>

As she repeated the chorus she could feel that she had definitely gotten his attention. She was feeling so empowered now that if they hadn't been in public she might be currently putting that lump she was sitting on to good sound of hand against hand resonated through the small venue mixed with whistles and various encouragements. She got up and returned to her seat, watching the spectacle of emotions sparkle across his features.

His face settling into a wicked smirk, he praised her performance. "That is my new favorite song." His hand claimed hers and caressed it.

Roxanne's smile radiated warmth his way. She squeezed his hand and said "I can hardly wait to hear you singing to me." Her eyes crinkled at the corners in that way he adored and his heart melted like ice cream in the sun. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"You OK?" Roxanne said softly, more confused than concerned. Stage fright was the last thing she expected from her extroverted beau.

Blue eyelids raised to reveal green irises fixed on her face. "Just trying to relax. My body doesn't seem to care that I'm supposed to stand up in front of all these people. It's just fixated on enjoying you sitting in my lap. We'll have to figure out more excuses for you to be doing that in the future."

"Aww ..." Roxanne managed to stuff down the giggles but couldn't reason with her mouth, it insisted on smiling. "Sorry sweetie. Would it help if I spilled an icy frapp in your lap?"

He flashed an indulgent smile her way. "No need. A little calculus does wonders."

"You're up, Megamind!" Sam impatiently reminded him. He and Roxanne shared a brief spate of snorted laughter.

"Not anymore." he muttered as he stood and headed for his mark, retrieving the mic from Roxanne on the way and leaping lithely to the stage in mid-step. "If I may utilize a bit of creative license," he spoke to the audience through the mic while raising a hand to bid Sam to hold off starting the music for a moment, "you see, nearly all the lyrics of the song I've chosen fit my purpose perfectly except for the first two lines. I would like to change them a bit, if that's alright with everyone?"

Clapping was their answer. They'd be able to see the original lyrics on the screen, and were curious to see how he'd change them up.

When the music began, Megamind saw no sign of recognition on any face in the room. Not unexpected since despite this song being the title track of its album, it received no airplay that he recalled. No matter. This was all for her. His eyes rested on her as the short intro gave way to the lyrics.

The screen displayed the lines:  
><em>I was born beside a big blue bay<br>Grew up on the Gulf of Mexico_

Megamind sang his original replacements:

"I was born upon a big blue planet  
>Grew up in the city of Metro<p>

A few noises of approval for the clever cover leaked from the group. Roxanne's smile was wide & proud as he continued with the rest of the song as written.

"Dreamed of the islands with Papa Hemmingway  
>and old Errol Flynn was my hero"<p>

During that line, he swiftly picked up the mic stand down by its base and wielded it like a fencing foil, executing thrust and parry against thin air. Whimsical laughter floated around over his antics. Roxanne enjoyed witnessing his swashbuckling display and couldn't help but giggle too.

As he placed the stand back down on the stage, his gaze returned to the object of his affection and he sang on.

"All I ever wanted was to find you, girl  
>Make love upon the seven seas"<p>

Roxanne blushed and began looking all goofy. The citizens made suggestive howls.

"And if we never made it around the world  
>Key West would be alright with me."<p>

With a bow he began the chorus,

"Pirates and poets and me, you see, are one of a kind  
>Searchin' for a treasure like you<br>Finding the perfect rhyme.  
>Pirates and poets and me believe<br>In love only when it's true  
>And the buccaneer and Shakespeare inside of me<br>Believe that we're in love with you."

Roxanne was positively swooning by this point. Megamind pressed the advantage and left the stage to approach her as he crooned the next verse.

"Pirates have their silver swords  
>They can steal your heart away<br>Poets have their golden words  
>They can win you with what they say"<p>

As the next words rang from his throat he stopped before her and slowly sank to one knee, taking her hand. Her eyes widened in wonder, and he went on.

"Never knew I had a hero in me  
>Never found much worth fighting for<br>Never knew the beauty of poetry ..."_  
><em>

Quickly he leaned forward to sing low near her ear, the mic in his hand still allowing all to hear,

"But I'd never loved you before."

The savvy reporter felt helpless in the grip of the spell his nearness cast upon her, the power the mere timbre of his voice held over her physically and emotionally. One strong, slender arm scooped her up by the waist and pulled her close, leaning down over her in a pose right off any given romance novel cover as he reprised the chorus, during which he whirled her around to her feet and danced a simple waltz with her as though they were the only two people in the room.

The crowd was seemingly spellbound as well, their rowdy behavior of earlier on hold as they thrilled to the performance. Only toward the end of the last chorus did they renew their applause, whistling and cheering. None looked happier for the pair than Minion, proud as he could be of his dear friend's emotional growth.

Their steps slowed, then stilled but their arms remained enfolding their torsos and their gaze remained mutual. The small smiles each wore spread warmly.

In his peripheral vision the heroic alien saw Sam walk to the stage. He tossed the microphone up in a perfectly aimed arc and Sam snatched it in mid-air, then executed a flashy spin, proving that Megamind's theatrical flair was contagious.

"Well, that's a tough act to follow! But I'm gonna give it a shot!" The blond wore a manic grin and signaled to Tony to start her number, already queued up. The rowdy guitar intro to Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" started as the couple took their seats.

Rather than leave early for the planned excursion to Benihana, the group stayed and opted for sandwiches for dinner. They found being spectators as entertaining as performing.

When the list had been gone through, Sam began campaigning for more participants. Finding hesitation among those who had yet to sing, she suggested "How about we do some duets?" A few people glanced about among their tablemates, including the group of honor, but no one could think of anything off the top of their heads. Recalling their singing in the van not too long ago, Sam coaxed Roxanne back onstage to do "Dirty Laundry" with her. Minion fetched the book and after a minute nudged Megamind and pointed out his find, then pointing back and forth between the two of them. Megamind only took his eyes off his lady love long enough to glance at the title, grin and nod.

As the two co-workers finished the Henley tune, Minion trotted to the table and waited 'til Sam came over to see his choice, and set it up. The last natives of a dead blue planet moved the populace present with a heartfelt rendition of Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World." Roxanne actually struggled to keep from shedding tears.

Then Roxanne got an idea and mulled it over with her partner when he returned. They approached the table and set their idea in motion with Sam. Roxanne had enjoyed his clever ad-lib lines and had hit on a good tune to do more of it with. The two held hands and smiled during the piano intro.

Megamind began, singing into the mic but feasting his eyes on his favorite baby blues.

"Once in your life you find her  
>Someone who turns your heart around<br>And next thing you know you're taking over the town_."_

Laughter rolled through the crowd.

"Wake up and it's still with you  
>Even though you laughed your way 'cross town<br>Wonderin' to yourself 'Hey, what have I found?'"

"When you get caught between the moon and Metro City  
>I know it's crazy, but it's true<br>If you get caught between the moon and Metro City  
>The best that you can do<br>The best that you can do is fall in love._"_

Grinning that crooked way that loosed butterflies inside him, Roxanne took the next verse.

"Megamind does as he pleases  
>All of his life, his master's toys<br>And deep in his heart he's just_  
><em>He's just a boy_."_

Roxanne caressed the blue face fondly, as his eyes glistened with emotion.

"Livin' his life one day at a time  
>He's showing himself a pretty good time<br>He's laughing about the way they want him to be_."_

"When you get caught between the moon and Metro City  
>I know it's crazy, but it's true<br>If you get caught between the moon and Metro City  
>The best that you can do<br>The best that you can do is fall in love_."_

The remaining choruses became a sing along for the whole room. Even Tony joined in. Afterward the momentum seemed to wind down and a few people began to leave. Megamind pulled Roxanne into a hug and murmured "Can we go home soon? This has been lovely, but I find myself missing our couch cuddle time."

Resting her forehead against his and rubbing his nose with hers, she replied, "Me too. I think we've done our bit for music appreciation for one night."

On their way past Sam as they headed for the door, Roxanne stopped long enough to say, "That was a blast! See you tomorrow."

"Hey, keep your Friday nights open, I'm sure you have a lot more songs left in you!" Sam caught eyes with Minion, bringing up the rear behind Megamind, who waved to Sam and Tony but was otherwise fixated on his date, playfully pulling her closer to nuzzle her ear. The fish and the blond broke into manic grins and did twin thumbs-up signals that the evening had been a success.

On the drive back, Minion's voice piped up dryly, "If you two are going to do that every time we go out, I'm going to have to get one of those shields they put up in limos."

The only responses were a muffled evil laugh and a breathlessly muttered "Eyes on the road, mister, not the rear-view."

The robotically assisted chauffeur rolled his eyes. _OK … they're still fully dressed at least._

After parking inside the lair, Minion told his friends, "Well, I am off to power down and get some shut-eye, I'll just leave you young things to it ..." From the backseat he heard "Mm-hm" and a giggled "Goodnight Minion."

Inside the Hudson, Roxanne was wiggling out of the grope fest she had condoned, nay, encouraged heartily on the ride home. She wanted him tonight, of this she was sure, but she wanted him to work for it. She wanted the chase. It turned her on. She bailed out of the car and turned to her dazed paramour, backing away with a saucy smirk and crooking her finger, bidding him follow. "C'mon Romeo … let's slip into someplace a little more comfortable."

Megamind's hopes shot sky-high over her confident demeanor. He kept telling himself not to expect anything, but it was getting harder to contain his enthusiasm. Brows drew down at a rakish angle and his smile curled up, and he wiggled like a cat preparing to pounce before shooting out of the door after her, forcing her to pick up the pace to stay just ahead of him as he stalked toward her.

"Ooohhhehehe … you're pretty hot to trot, huh?" she teased him as she circled the couch.

"Like a thoroughbred on Derby day, my dear!" he intoned, his voice low and rough.

_Ohh that voice!_ She stopped in front of the couch so he could catch up to her.

He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him slowly. She didn't exactly resist, but she was holding back just enough while remaining flirty, which he recognized for the challenge it was. Seeing her expression at the rumble of his voice, he decided to keep guiding her vocally.

"One of these nights  
>One of these crazy old nights<br>We're gonna find out, pretty mama  
>What turns on your lights."<p>

_OHHH you know very well what kinds of things do that … _she mused as his lips captured hers. She capitulated for a while but was having just too much fun taunting him, and pulled away to provoke him a little more.

"Got any other songs you wanna sing to me?" she asked.

Megamind was drawing a blank. Giant blue head feeling a couple quarts low, he blinked and tried to think of something he hadn't used yet. "Uhhhhh ..."

Roxanne grinned. She loved being able to fluster him so. "Aw, c'mon Blue … " She leaned in and whispered, "I just need a _leetle _more convincing."

"Augh! How you DO vex me, Temptress!" he growled. He tried to focus his thought processes. "Let's see … well, it's too soon for that one ..." He'd done it now.

That was all it took to pique his nosy reporter's curiosity. "What one? Come on, now, you know I hate secrets between us. Spill."

Megamind looked stricken. _Damn my tendency to think out loud! _"Now, sweetheart, this isn't exactly a secret, I intend fully to share that musical question with you, just not at this stage of our relationship."

Roxanne bristled. "Don't you trust me?"

Eyes wide, he proclaimed, "With my life!"

She tipped her head inquisitively. "But not with a song?"

The hero's shoulders slumped. He was boxed in and he knew it. "OK … look, the thing is … well, just promise me you'll reserve judgment on this." His eyes pleaded with her. "Don't shoot me down here, remember I told you this is premature."

Roxanne wasn't even trying to figure out what he meant, she sat on the couch and looked at him expectantly.

He felt defeated … he had wanted this one to be so special. Since he'd heard it years ago he'd had what he used to consider ridiculous fantasies of singing this to her. Now it didn't seem as absurd, but if it was too early as he feared, it could throw everything off for their relationship. He swallowed hard and sighed, then, partly because he wanted to be at eye level with her and partly because it was how he'd always pictured it in his mind, he got down on one knee and took her hand. One last pleading look and he began.

"Could I have this dance  
>For the rest of my life?"<p>

Roxanne's eyes and mouth snapped open in tandem.

"Would you be my partner  
>Every night?"<p>

She gasped and her free hand covered her mouth since she couldn't seem to close it. Megamind's heart felt weak and his voice wavered, but he continued.

"When we're together  
>It feels so right.<br>Could I have this dance  
>For the rest of mmh hmmm ..."<p>

The last two words were muffled by Roxanne's passionate kiss.

_See what I did there? Yes, I stole from several things in this chapter, that last bit was lifted from I Love Lucy. Well, not the song, just the kiss.  
>Again, sorry it took so long to get anything up, but it's longer to make up for it. LOL OK it's longer because it just wouldn't stop writing itself. I'll try not to take so long with the last chapter. Promise. No, really. I'm super serial this time.<em>


End file.
